What About Us?
by BookDreamer98
Summary: Four years ago, Dimitri left Rose after telling her that his love had faded, leaving her completely broken. Now, Rose and Lissa have graduated from Lehigh and are living at Court. Tatiana is preparing for Lissa to be queen, and with wedding bells ringing, familiar faces returning and looming threats outside the wards, things won't stay normal for long.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to my new story! Four years ago, Dimitri left Rose after telling her that his love had faded, leaving her completely broken. Now, Rose and Lissa have graduated from Lehigh and are living at Court. Tatiana is preparing for Lissa to be queen, and with wedding bells ringing and looming threats outside the wards, things won't stay normal for long.**

 _Almost four years ago..._

"I've given up on you. Love fades, mine has." The words hurt me far worse than any physical blow ever could. I couldn't get any air into my lungs. I had to get out of this God-damn church. I blinked once, then twice. My mind felt like it was caving in on itself, I felt nothing and everything all at once. My body moved on its own. I stood up and walked out. I didn't say a word to the Russian that had just broken my heart; I didn't even look back at him.

I made it back to my bedroom at Court before I let myself feel anything. I let out what was supposed to be a sigh, but came out as a loud sob. Next thing I know, my fist is through a wall and my hand is covered in blood. I looked down at it but didn't feel a thing.

I stayed locked in my bedroom for three days after that. I heard several people knocking on my door at different points in the day, but I couldn't bring myself to stand up and open the door. Lissa sent me message after message through the bond, but they became less frequent as time went by. I tried my best to stay out of her head during those three days, I knew she would be around Dimitri, and I just couldn't bear to see his face.

It was on the third day when I finally decided to get up, have a shower and get dressed.

I caught my reflection in the mirror as I stepped out of the shower, I barely recognised myself, and yet I looked too familiar. My hair fell down in dull waves over my shoulders and down my waist. I thought of all the times Dimitri had brushed a lock of the brown curls behind my ear and suddenly couldn't stand looking at it anymore.

I grabbed the pair of scissors that were in a drawer in my bedroom, and before I could think about it for too long, I cut and snipped at the hair until it just brushed the tops of my shoulders rather than flowing down my back like before.

Looking at myself now, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, almost like I could breathe again for the first time in days.

I walked out of the door and headed over to Lissa and Christians apartment in guest housing, we didn't have a place of our own yet as we would be leaving for Lehigh college soon enough. I had forgotten about that, I didn't even know what day of the week it was.

After checking the bond I saw that Lissa, Christian, Eddie and Adrian were all in the apartment, Dimitri was nowhere in sight.

I knocked on the front door, for some reason it didn't feel right to just walk in like I normally would.

Christian answered the door, the smile on his face vanished as he took in my appearance. "Oh my God Rose, are you okay? Where the hell have you been?" He said as he grabbed my arms and pulled me into a tight embrace.

I stood in his arms frozen for a moment, before I hesitantly wrapped my arms around his waist. I think that was the first time I had heard Christian call me by my real name.

He carefully broke away from the hug, almost as if he was scared that I would break, but kept one of his arms around my shoulders as he guided me into the apartment.

"Who was at the door, Chris?" I heard Lissa call from the living room. He didn't reply, he simply walked us into the room so they could see me.

Lissa gasped and I could see tears shine in her eyes as she leapt towards me and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. "I'm so sorry Rose, are you okay?" She asked as she finally let me out of the embrace.

Adrian and Eddie both hugged me next, the former embracing me a bit more intimately; I had almost forgotten that Adrian and I were somewhat of an item.

Lissa handed me a hot chocolate as we all sat down around the living room. Adrian was the first to break the silence. "Little Dhampir, you don't look so great, are you okay?" Asshole, I knew I looked like shit but he didn't have to tell me that.

"I'm fine." I lied. "Just needed a little time to myself."

I didn't hang around for much longer after that, I really didn't feel like socialising. Adrian kept on giving me funny looks, almost like he was analysing me, judging the colours in my aura no doubt.

Lissa walked me to the door when I left, and stopped me before I walked out. "I have to tell you something Rose." I gave her a questioning look.

"I know what happened, he didn't say much, but he didn't have to. I'm sorry Rose, but Dimitri left with Tasha, he's going to live with her and be her guardian, he didn't say anything about coming back."

 _Present Day..._

Lissa and I had finally graduated from Lehigh and had finally moved into our own houses at Court, they were right next to each other which was great, I would never have been able to afford a house like that on my own, but Abe insisted on paying for most of it as a graduation present, I think he's still making the most of having his daughter back in his life, even if we were in completely different counties.

We had been back at Court for a week now, and I had finally settled into life here, Lissa and Christian had been making the most of their time in the privacy of their own home when she wasn't in meetings with the Queen and her royal followers. While I had thrown myself completely into my guardian duties, I rarely had time off, and when I did I spent that time either asleep, with Lissa, Christian, Eddie and Adrian, or in the gym.

I was nearing the end of my shift guarding the main gate when I was pulled into Lissa's head. I had put up walls around my mind to block her out while she was alone with Christian, but the emotions she was feeling were so strong, she smashed those walls into pieces.

I almost expected her to be in danger when I blinked and was seeing through her eyes, but what I saw was the exact opposite.

Christian was kneeling down before her, with a beautiful engagement ring presented before her in a small velvet box.

"Vasilisa Sabina Rhea Dragomir, would you do me the incredible honour of becoming my wife?" His voice was rough with emotion. I felt like I was intruding on an incredibly intimate moment, I shouldn't be watching this. I stayed just long enough for her to say yes and throw herself into his awaiting arms before I pulled out of her head and into my own.

"Hathaway, your shift is over; you can go if you want." Guardian Hanes said walking towards me as my eyes focused back to reality.

"Thanks, it's been pretty quiet; you should have an easy shift on your hands." I said as I passed him.

I wanted nothing more to run to my best friend's house and congratulate her on her engagement, but I knew they should enjoy this moment by themselves. And so I headed over to the gym, and let out all of my built up energy on the punch bags.

I checked my cell phone as I walked home; I had a text from Adrian checking up on me, he had been great these past few years. Although we weren't officially an item anymore, we still had our passionate moments, and had had more than a few fun-filled nights over the years.

My friends and I had an unspoken rule that we were to never ever bring up conversation about a certain Russian. They all saw how broken I was after he left, and so no one spoke about him in fear that it would break me all over again, not that I was completely fixed yet.

Things were finally starting to look up; we were finally out of college, and rumour has it Queen Tatiana is going to start coaching Lissa to be Queen sooner or later.

I found myself feeling hopeful that things were actually going to be okay, I hadn't felt that way in a very long time. Maybe things would be alright, if I keep telling myself that, then maybe it'll be true.

I should have known that nothing good ever lasts very long in my life.

 **There we have Chapter 1! I've been so excited to start this story, and I have a lot of great idea's for what's going to happen, I can't wait to really get into the swing of things! I really hope I set the scene well in this story, I found it a bit difficult to explain everything properly without being too obvious about it. Most of the original characters from 'Last Sacrifice' will be making an appearance in this story, as well as some of the original plot, but I'll be adding my own twist to most of it!**

 **I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter, please let me know what you think! I know not a lot happened in this chapter; I really just wanted to set the scene so you know what's going on. If you have any questions then please make sure that you are signed in to review so that I can reply! Thanks so much for reading, please follow, favourite and let me know what you think if you liked it!**


	2. Chapter 2

I rushed over to Lissa and Christian's house the next morning, after thoroughly checking the bond to make sure they were both fully clothed, I walked straight through the front door.

"Congratulations!" I yelled at the top of my lungs as I walked in, bottle of champagne in hand, they were both cuddled up on the sofa, Lissa sprung up to her feet as she saw me and threw her arms around me.

Sparky approached us, the usual smirk plastered onto his pale face. "I know it's not unheard of for you to be drinking in the morning, Rosie, but a bottle of champagne is a bit classy for 10 in the morning isn't it?" His words were true, I had found myself drinking in the mornings on more than a few occasions, but that was years ago, and only with Adrian's encouragement. Not my best moment, I know.

I untangled myself from Lissa's arms and threw them around Christian instead; I was just as surprised by my actions as he was. After a few seconds of hesitation, he wrapped his arms around me. "You did good, fire crotch." I said quietly before stepping away from him.

"Anyway, the champagne isn't for right now, just whenever you want it, we need to celebrate!" I exclaimed.

"I'm glad you don't want it right now Rose, I was actually about to call you over. Tatiana has invited me over for a meeting of some sort, I hope you don't mind but I thought you could come, I could really use the moral support." She gave me a sheepish smile, as if I had anything better to do.

"Of course, Liss. When are we leaving?" I asked as I put the bottle of champagne in the fridge of the adjoining kitchen.

My best friend glanced at the silver watch gracing her wrist and looked back up at me. "Now actually, if that's ok?"

"Sure, beats hanging around here with Sparky anyway." I said loud enough for her new fiancé to hear.

"Get out of my house, Rose." He replied with a grin on his face that told me he didn't real mean it.

"All right, all right, I'm going!" I called as Lissa and I walked out of the door after she pecked him on the lips.

My eyes scanned the surrounding area as we walked down the path. I knew it was unlikely that there would be any threats around Court, but it was instinctive for me to look out for any possible dangers, no matter how safe the place claimed to be.

Lissa chatted animatedly during the whole 15 minute walk towards the Queens palace. "I have no idea what the Queen could want me for. But you'll stay with me won't you Rose?" She asked. I was about to interrupt her and tell her there was no way I would be allowed in there with her, but she already knew that. "I mean in here." She said, tapping her head. "Through the bond."

"Of course, Liss, always." I assured her.

The guardians posted outside the main doors let us straight in, I nodded my recognition and thanks as we walked past, they nodded back.

Although we all acted sensible and professional while on duty, I had actually become friends with many of the Court's guardians, and I was actually quite a respected member of the Guardian community now, although we had only lived here a week, I had come to recognise many of the Guardians during our many visits back here over the years.

One of the Guardians escorted us to the room in which Lissa would be meeting with Her Majesty. The royal building always took my breath away when we were summoned here, which didn't happen often at all. Everything about the building was grand and pristine, and also very expensively made, no doubt.

The Queen answered the door herself after the Guardian knocked lightly on the ornate door. I didn't stand next to Lissa as she knocked, instead I placed myself by the wall to the left of the door, chin raised, hands clasped behind my back, the typical Guardians stance. I of course had no intention of joining Lissa during the meeting; Guardians aren't invited to that kind of thing.

"Ah, Vasilisa. It's so good to see you again." The Queens overly polite voice drifted to my ears.

I saw Lissa politely curtsey from the corner of my eye and had to suppress a smile, she was so very royal.

I saw the Queens head pop round the corner of the doorframe, looking right in my direction, my shoulders tensed on their own accord.

"Oh Rosemarie, I thought you might be accompanying Vasilisa. Would you join us?" I turned my head slightly to look at her directly, was this some sort of joke? I had no idea what to do.

The Queen had a surprisingly pleasant smile on her face, to which I found myself smiling back. "Are you sure... Your Majesty?" I asked, they tried to hide it, but I could see the surprise on the other Guardians faces that were stationed outside the room.

"Of course, it would be my pleasure." She said.

I nodded and realised I hadn't even bowed to her yet. I quickly bended at the waist, having no idea whether now was the best time to do so. Her smile only widened as she gestured for Lissa and I to follow her into the room she had just come from. I threw a glance over my shoulder to the other Guardians, as if to say ' _what the fuck is going on?_ ' The guardians replied by attempting to hide their smiles and a discreet shrug of their shoulders.

I scanned the room as we walked in, there were 4 of the Queens personal Guardians lining the walls, their eyes remained looking forward, seeing and yet not seeing at the same time.

"Please, take a seat." The Queen said, gesturing to the plush sofa opposite her own. She poured us both a cup of tea. That's right, _The Queen, the_ actual _Queen,_ just poured me, _Rose Hathaway_ , a cup of tea.

"Thank you." Lissa and I said in turn.

"So, how are you both settling in to life at Court?" She asked rather pleasantly after taking a sip from her own china cup.

"Very well thank you, everyone has been so welcoming." Lissa said with a perfect smile on her face.

"And you, Miss Hathaway?" She said, diverting her gaze to me.

"Great, thank you. I'm enjoying my shifts around Court." I replied, trying to make my voice sound as nice and calm as possible.

"I'm glad to hear it, I've heard you've been doing well, not that I expected anything less." Jeez, why was she being so nice?

"And how is Mr Ozera doing?" Panic shot through the bond so suddenly the teacup in my hand jolted.

' _Rose! Do I tell her that he proposed?!'_ Lissa practically shouted down the bond. People would be finding out soon enough, I suppose the Queen may as well hear it straight from the horse's mouth.

Stupid one way bond, I couldn't even tell Liss that obviously she should tell her, so I took things into my own hands. "He's fine. In fact, Lis- Vasilisa, has some exciting news."

Lissa sent me a panicked look, to which I sent her a reassuring one back, before she faced the Queen once again. "Yes, very exciting news. Christian proposed to me yesterday, and I said yes!" She exclaimed, she couldn't keep the smile off her face at the end of the sentence, she was simply radiant.

"Congratulations, I am incredibly happy for the both of you." She said as she took Lissa's hand and carefully studied the ring. "It's beautiful." She commented.

I was pleasantly surprised at how un-snobby the Queen was being. I had never particularly liked the woman, but on the past few occasions that I had seen her, she had been nothing but nice towards me.

The rest of the meeting went by rather uneventfully; I rarely contributed to the conversation, making me wonder why the Queen wanted me here in the first place. However I did catch her eye a few times throughout the meeting, she seemed to be studying me rather carefully, and she simply gave me a knowing look and continued on with the conversation.

I was becoming rather weary by the end of the meeting, and was more than ready to leave when we finally said goodbye to Her Majesty.

On the way back home, Lissa went over _literally_ every word the Queen said, as well as scrutinising the way she said it and what it could mean. "Jeez Liss, calm down. She's probably just spending more time with you so she can groom you into being a good little royal."

Christian was nowhere in sight when we got back to their house, Lissa popped open the bottle of champagne soon after we entered the house and poured us both a generous glass. I took the liberty of proposing a toast, even though it was just the two of us. "To you and Christian." I said as we clinked our glasses together and took a sip. The bubbles fizzled down my throat in a way that reminded me just how expensive that bottle of champagne was.

"Now that I've got you here, and there's champagne, I was hoping I could ask you something." Lissa said after a few moments of comfortable silence.

"Of course, you should know by now that you can ask me anything, Liss."

"Well, you're not only my best friend Rose, but you're my sister too, and I was hoping that you would do me the honour of being my maid of honour?" She asked with a massive grin on her beautiful face.

I suddenly turned very un-Rose like and actually screamed. "Oh my God! Of course I will Lissa! Thank you so much!" I jumped up and pulled her into my arms. Before I knew it there were tears streaming down my face, and the same was happening to her.

"I'm so proud of you, Liss. I love you." I said as I finally let her out of my embrace.

"I love you too, I couldn't think of anyone better to be my maid of honour."

"This is going to be the best wedding ever!" I yelled.

"I'm glad you think so, because I also have some kind of bad news." She continued slowly. Oh no, this did not sound good.

"Go on, out with it already."

"Well, um, Christian called Tasha to tell her about the engagement, and she kind of insisted on visiting court to celebrate and help plan the wedding. And although she didn't mention him, I can't see that she would come without him." She didn't need to say who _he_ was. We had barely spoken his name in four years and we sure as hell weren't going to start now.

I stared at her, unblinking, for a moment as my mind took me back to that awful time four years ago, when he left and took my heart and soul with me. Although we never spoke about it, we all know how much I changed after that.

I was less carefree and more stoic now. Not only had my mind changed, but the trauma changed my body too. I kept my hair cut short and my body became leaner and even more toned as I ate less and trained more. For some time the bags under my eyes were unavoidable and my cheekbones stuck out like a sore thumb.

Over the years I had returned to my old self a little more, but I still wasn't the same, I wasn't sure I ever would be the same again.

I realised I hadn't said anything in several minutes and cleared my throat. I grabbed my champagne glass and downed the rest of its contents. "Of course they'll be coming; it hadn't even crossed my mind. But it won't be a problem; I can stay out of their way." I tried to brush it off, I didn't want Lissa to be worrying about me while she was planning for her big day, this was about her, not me. They come first.

We carried on drinking after that until the bottle was empty. It was then that Christian came home and I quickly excused myself, making an excuse that I was tired and should be going to bed, of course I knew I wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. After all, it wouldn't be the first time I've had a sleepless night due to a certain heartbreaking Russian.

 **There we have Chapter 2! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, I definitely enjoyed writing it, I have sooooo much in store for this story, and I can't wait for the drama to start! I just wanted to thank everyone who favourited, followed and reviewed the story already, I appreciate every single one of you, it really means so much to me. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter, I really hope you enjoyed it, thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

The following week flowed smoothly enough. I had finally unpacked all the boxes from around my new house. The house felt huge with only me living here, but I absolutely loved having a place of my own, I got to decorate and furnish it exactly how I wanted. I had a light grey colour scheme running through the house; it had a cosy yet stylish feel.

Before I knew it, it was Friday morning and my alarm was screaming in my face. A few years ago I would have picked my alarm clock up off the bedside table and smashed it into the nearest wall, but I actually quite liked waking up early now, I found being awake was a lot less torturous than being asleep. Even after all these years I still found myself faced with crippling nightmares. Adrian once found out about them and he has visited my dreams more often since, but as he battles spirits darkness he turns to alcohol a lot more often, meaning he doesn't have the power to visit my dreams as much anymore.

I hauled myself up out of my comfortable double bed and headed into the en-suite bathroom where I stripped off my pyjamas and stepped into the shower. I relished in the feeling of the hot water hitting my back, but shut off the water sooner than I'd have liked after washing my hair and scrubbing my skin.

I wrapped a soft towel around my body and headed back into the bedroom, I quickly made my bed while I dried off, then slipped my Guardian uniform on before clipping my hair to the back of my head. I didn't technically have to tie it back anymore, due to the short length, but I still liked to keep it away from my face while I was on duty, and it generally looked more professional. I slipped my phone into my pocket and put my stake and holster around my hips.

I grabbed a power bar from the kitchen cupboard on my way out, I wished I had time for a cup of coffee, but I'd have to grab one somewhere else.

I made my way to the main gate where I would be meeting the other Guardian on duty for patrolling the wards. It was still early here at Court so it was quiet enough that I didn't pass anyone on my way. Don't get me wrong, a lot of the Moroi here were nice enough, but a lot of them were snobs who didn't know how to treat Dhampir with respect.

As the gate came into view I saw a wave of blond hair and hoped to Vlad that Eddie was the other Guardian on ward patrol. His handsome face lit up into a smile as he saw me approaching. "Hey Rose!" He said as I approached and pulled me into a quick bro hug.

"Hey Eddie, you on ward patrol with me?" I asked as I stepped out of his embrace.

"Sure am, you ready to go?" I smiled and nodded as we made our way around the edge of the ward line.

"So you heard about Lissa and Christian?" I asked as I ran my eyes along the invisible ward line, we generally looked for anything out of the ordinary, it wasn't unheard of for humans to attempt breaking the ward-line with a silver stake on behalf of the Strigoi, so we kept an eye out for anything unaccounted for.

"Of course I did, Liss called me and Adrian over the other day to tell us, I'm really happy for them." He said genuinely.

"Me too, I hate to admit it but he really is good for her." I admitted somewhat reluctantly.

We spent rest of the shift comfortably talking and catching up, I had really missed Eddie, and we hadn't been able to spend much time together since we moved to Court.

We had just covered our fifth lap of the wards by the time our shift was over. There was nothing out of the ordinary and we managed to chat the majority of the time while still being alert for any potential dangers. When we got back to the main gate where we would be meeting the Guardians taking over our shift, we were surprised to see Guardian Hans Croft waiting with him arms crossed over his chest, watching our approach.

I felt a lick of anxiety pass through me as we got closer, Guardian Croft was an incredibly well respected Guardian, seeing as he was the head Guardian here at Court, and despite his age, being in his 50's, he ran this place better than I could imagine anyone doing so. Everyone respected him, even the Moroi, and what he says needs to get done, gets done with no questions asked.

"Ah Hathaway, I'm glad I caught you." He said as I reached him, I stood before him with my hands clasped professionally behind my back.

"Everything alright?" I asked.

"Yes, I was hoping you could come by my office tomorrow, we have some matters to discuss." He saw my eyes widening slightly and continued. "Nothing to worry about, just something I'd like you to do for me."

"Of course, what time would you like me there?" I asked.

"Let's say two o'clock. I'll see you then." He said before turning his back and briskly walking off. Hans was also very to the point, also something I enjoyed about his character, I couldn't be dealing with time wasters.

I made my way back home to get changed before I would be joining Lissa, Christian, Adrian and Eddie for dinner at the happy couple's house.

I stripped off my guardian uniform and pulled on a burgundy knitted dress, it was one of my more comfortable items, and I slipped a pair of tights and boots on to finish off the look. I wasn't exactly dressing up but it was nice to make an effort once in a while. I pulled the clip out of my hair and let it fall past my face. I put my stake in my thigh holster and walked out of the door, crossing my front lawn to get to Lissa's house.

Although I wasn't required to carry my stake everywhere I went, I usually preferred to take it with me wherever I go; you can never be too safe after all.

I let myself into their house and followed the voices into the kitchen, where everyone was standing around the kitchen as Christian prepared the food.

Lissa pulled me into a hug when I walked in, to which I eagerly returned the gesture.

Adrian also pulled me into his arms, which only slightly surprised me. "Ah Little Dhampir, I have not been seeing enough of you recently." He said, making me feel a little guilty that I hadn't made much of an effort to see him recently.

"Sorry Adrian, I've been working a lot recently." I said genuinely. I pulled out of his arms and Lissa held a large glass of white wine out in front of me.

"You know me so well, Liss." I said as way of thanks.

We soon sat down to eat, Christian had made lasagne, and it looked as delicious as all his cooking did. He may be a pain in the ass but he did make good food.

We had just served ourselves to the food placed in the middle of the dining table when the doorbell rang. Eddie and I both subconsciously tensed, which made Adrian laugh.

"I wonder who that could be." Lissa asked as she got up from the table and headed out of the room to the front door.

I couldn't hear what was being said, but I could hear voices, Lissa certainly sounded happy.

I wish I had thought to check through the bond to see who was walking through the house. At least then I would have been prepared for the sight that was before me.

Lissa walked back into the room with a shit-eating grin on her face, Tasha and Dimitri entered the room right behind her.

The fork I was holding fell out of my hand and clattered onto the plate in front of me, drawing everyone's attention towards me.

Dimitri looked as breathtakingly gorgeous as I remembered he did, his sensuously soft hair was tied at the nape of his neck. He wore his typical duster with a tight fitted t shirt, showing he was exactly as muscled as I remembered.

I had suddenly lost my appetite completely, I felt like I was going to be sick.

"Aunt Tasha!" Christian exclaimed as he stood up and crossed the room before pulling he beloved aunt into his arms. I didn't look at him, but I knew Dimitri's eyes were on me. I could almost feel them burning holes into my face.

Eddie stood up and shook Dimitri's hand out of pure politeness. Adrian, however, did not approach our new guests. Instead he carefully placed his hand on my arm in a comforting gesture. I wanted nothing more than to shrug his hand off, but I knew he was only trying to help.

Tasha barely even noticed me as she spoke animatedly with Lissa and Christian, Dimitri's eyes, however, had barely strayed far from my face. I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

"We're just sitting down to eat, why don't you join us?" Lissa politely asked the two of them, Tasha accepted the offer on behalf of the both of them.

I couldn't do this. I could not sit here and play happy families. I had to get out.

I downed the rest of my glass of wine before abruptly standing up, making the heavy chair scrape loudly across the floor, efficiently drawing all attention back to me. Shit. No chance of sneaking out unnoticed then.

"I'm not feeling too well." I lied. "I think I'm just going to go to bed. Thanks for dinner, Chris." I said as I took a step away from the table. My voice sounded weird even to my own ears.

"You haven't eaten any of it." He said, not at all nastily, just stating a fact.

I looked down at my plate and saw that what he said was indeed true. "Sorry, I'm not hungry. Goodnight. Good to see you, Tasha." I added hastily on the end. I knew I'd just get into shit if I ignored her completely.

I took my chance and rushed out of the door before anyone could try and convince me otherwise.

' _Rose, I'm sorry. I had no idea they were coming today. Are you going to be alright?'_ Lissa stupidly asked down the bond. Damn one way bond. I wish I could speak back to her and reassure her I was fine. I'll have to text her later and apologise for being so rude.

I had almost made it to my front door when a strong hand gripped the top of my arm tightly. I didn't think about who it was, I simply acted out of instinct. I had my stake pointed over their chest and my forearm pressed firmly against their throat, shoved up against the wall of my house within a second.

Then his scent hit me and I thought my knees were going to give out. "Roza." He said simply.

I bared my teeth ever so slightly before grounding out the words. "Back off."

The look in his bottomless eyes wasn't one I would forget any time soon. He looked desperate. He looked like a starving man and I was the only thing in the world that could feed him. But most prominently, he looked to be in awe. Probably because I had incapacitated him within a heartbeat, that'll teach him not to fuck with me.

I pulled him away from the wall and shoved him down the steps of my porch; he stumbled ever so slightly but soon recovered and looked like he was going to speak again, until he caught my facial expression. I poured every ounce of disgust I could muster into my face.

I would have told him to never touch me again, to never speak to me again, but I'm pretty sure that the look in my eyes did that for him.

Gone was the Guardian mask that he had spent his lifetime wearing, instead surprise and guilt were written clearly across his beautiful features as he took in my appearance. His eyes raked over my body and hesitated at my short hair. Bastard.

I didn't say a word; instead, I turned on my heel and slammed the front door in his face.

 **There we have chapter 3! I honestly wasn't expecting to update so soon, but I love reading your reviews so much that I thought I may as well! I am absolutely loving writing this story so far, and I love to hear what you all think! Thank you so much to everyone who has already reviewed, followed and favourited the story, I appreciate every single one of you. Thank you so much for reading; I really hope you enjoy the chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning I was brutally awaken with a message through the bond from Lissa. I glanced at my clock, 9 o'clock, I had actually managed to sleep for a few hours, Vlad knows it practically took me all night to fall asleep.

' _Rose, are you awake? Well, if you are, come over before you go out so we can discuss plans for tonight!'_ Well, I was certainly awake now, I thought bitterly.

I hauled myself out of bed and jumped in the shower before dressing in my Guardian uniform, although I technically wasn't on duty today, I was meeting with Hans later so I supposed I should try and look somewhat professional. I did leave my hair down though, running my fingers through the shoulder length strands as a way of brushing it.

I took the chance to actually have a cup of coffee in my own kitchen, I wasn't sure I'd even had a proper meal here since I'd moved in.

I gulped down the last few drops of the caffeinated goodness before rinsing the mug in the sink and making my way out of the house, checking my stake was securely in my holster before locking the door, as I did every morning.

I crossed my own front lawn and Lissa's, then let myself into their house. The newly engaged couple were sat at the breakfast bar when I walked in.

"Hey Rose, are you alright?" Lissa asked sincerely as I walked in. "I promise we had no idea they were going to turn up then, Tasha said she wanted to surprise us."

"Well she certainly succeeded." I said, not meaning for my voice to be as bitter as it was. "Sorry, they just caught me off guard, I didn't think I'd ever have to see him again, and now they're here. Oh god, they're not staying here are they?" I said suddenly, scanning the surroundings for any sign of the couple.

Christian chuckled at my sudden panic. "Nah, they're staying in guest housing. They're going to be here for at least a few months, Rosie, probably until the wedding. Are you going to be okay?" I was touched that fireboy actually cared how I was handling this, she was his Aunt after all; he should be annoyed with me if anything.

"It'll be fine; I can just avoid him as much as possible. I'm sorry I've made this so difficult for you both." I said, feeling truly guilty.

"It's fine Rose, I wish there was some way we could make this easier." She said with a sad smile on her face. I hated that this was troubling her. I should be protecting her.

"Honestly don't worry, Liss. I'll be fine, I am fine." Even I didn't believe my own words.

"Cut the crap, Hathaway. That asshole _broke_ you, and now he's waltzing back in here as if nothing is wrong. He wasn't there to see what he did to you, but we were. You looked like a walking corpse for fucks sake Rose. And I know it's not totally your responsibility, but you better not let him hurt you again. Hell, we couldn't even speak his _name_ until a week ago!" Christian was breathing hard by the end of his speech, and my throat was so tight I was struggling to get air into my lungs.

I had no idea what I was supposed to say, Christian had never showed me so much emotion before. Lissa must have noticed my panicked expression as she quickly cut in.

"Anyway, this isn't why I called you over. We're all going out to a fancy restaurant tonight to celebrate, they _will_ be there, but so will Adrian so he'll have your back, so will we." Crap, avoiding him really was going to be difficult.

"Alright, is Eddie coming?" I asked hopefully.

"No, we did invite him but he's on duty tonight and couldn't get out of it." That was a shame; I could really have used his company.

I stayed with them until I glanced at my watch; it was half past one already. "Guys, I'm going to have to go, I'm meeting Hans at two. What time are we meeting at the restaurant?" I asked.

"We'll meet there at eight. Wear something nice." Lissa confirmed. She didn't say why, but through the bond I could tell she wanted to see how Dimitri would react to seeing me again, especially all dressed up.

I gave Liss a quick hug and briskly made my way to the Guardian Headquarters where Hans' office was located.

I made my way to his office right on time and knocked on the door. "Come in!" Was called through the door.

I stepped into the room and the sight before me made me want to turn around and run as far away as possible. "Am I early or something?" I knew it was unlikely, but there was no way I was meant to be here right now.

"As if you could ever be early for anything. No, you're surprisingly right on time." Hans said from where he sat at this desk. "Please, take a seat."

There were two basic leather seats placed opposite his own with his desk in the middle. Only one chair was available, because Dimitri fucking Belikov was sat comfortably in the other.

I simply turned and glanced at the chair, and its distance from the Russians chair. Of course Hans didn't miss my hesitation. "Hathaway, sit down." That was a direct order, one I couldn't exactly refuse. I didn't dare look at Dimitri, instead I focussed my attention on Guardian Croft.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I've called you both here, together." He said with a slight hint of amusement on his aging voice. I only nodded and gave him a murderous look.

"Well I'll get right to the point. As you may or may not know, Guardian Belikov here is going to be staying at Court for a few months at the least, and he generously offered his services around Court. And while we all know that he is completely safe and back to his usual self, some Moroi may not be quite as likeminded." He said before pausing, looking at me as if he was expecting me to interrupt him.

"Go on." I prompted.

"And what with varying Strigoi movements outside the wards, we can't really waste a perfectly capable Guardian. And so I have come to the conclusion that our best option is for Belikov to shadow another perfectly capable and well respected Guardian. And so he will be joining you on all of your shifts from now on, and will gradually have shifts of his own."

I couldn't be hearing this correctly. No way was I supposed to have him following me around while I'm on duty. I was putting every ounce of power I had into staying away from him!

"Please, you can't be serious." I muttered, I hated to say it, but I don't think I could survive the next few months if this is how it was going to be.

Dimitri's head snapped towards my direction before he quickly recovered and slammed his Guardian mask back into place. Was he actually surprised by my reaction to this situation?!

"Oh I am very serious. Look, I'll be honest with you both. I know about your history, and though I wish I didn't have to do this to you Rose. You're one of the best Guardians we've got around here, and you are simply my best option." I knew he truly felt bad about putting me in this situation, if only because he called me by my first name.

"With all due respect, Hans, you don't know anything about our _history._ When do we start?" There was no way I was getting out of this, so I may as well be as cooperative as possible. I could see Hans' eyebrows rise ever so slightly in surprise.

"Your partnership will begin tomorrow, at the beginning of your shift starting at two."

I stood up abruptly once he had finished speaking; I wasn't going to hang around here any longer than I needed to. "Very well, if that's all I'll be on my way." I said looking directly at Hans, waiting for him to dismiss me. He simply nodded; I didn't do Dimitri the honour of looking in his direction as I exited the room.

As soon as I was out of the room I let out a breath I didn't realise I had been holding, and my shoulders sagged in relief.

I leant back against the wall outside his office door, I hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but once I heard his rough accented voice, I couldn't pull myself away. I had only heard him speak one word since he'd been here.

"Thank you for the opportunity, Guardian Croft." He said as politely as ever.

"It's no problem at all Belikov, it'll be good for your reputation and it'll help our numbers." He replied before continuing. "If I may be so bold as to ask a favour of you Belikov?" He questioned finally.

"Of course, anything." He declared without hesitation.

"Don't make this anymore difficult for Hathaway than it has to be, follow her orders and respect her wishes, she is your superior as of now. You haven't seen her over these past years so you don't know how dedicated she's been to her role, she barely does anything other than work, and I think we both know why that is. I wouldn't want anything getting in the way of that." He finished. I had no idea Hans was going to say anything like that, I honestly thought I was a pain in his ass, but I suppose we had come to a mutual respect of each other as of recently.

"I can assure you that I have no intentions of making this difficult for her, she did a surprisingly good thing by agreeing to this, I will be nothing but grateful." The odd thing was that he actually sounded sincere.

"Good, let's keep it that way. You can go now if that's all, Belikov." I almost laughed; he was trying to dismiss him as politely as possible.

"Thank you." He said, and I knew that was my moment to leave. I ran around the corner as quickly and quietly as possible so he wouldn't see me, I left the building as quickly as possible without drawing attention and literally ran home after that.

I still had time to kill before the dreaded fancy dinner tonight, and so I put my workout clothes on and went for a run around the Courts track. Guardians Lawrence and Reyes were on the track when I arrived and they keenly called me over to run with them. I normally preferred to run on my own, but to be honest I was grateful for the distraction.

We ran together for a solid hour before they left, I continued for a few more laps before deciding I had done enough and made my way home again on shaking legs.

I was covered head to toe in sweat and decided another shower was exactly what I needed. Once I was out I pulled open the doors to my wardrobe and scanned the clothes.

Lissa had said to dress nicely, but she didn't specify how nice. I checked the bond and saw that she had chosen to wear a deep green knee length dress; it was tight fitting but had graceful lace sleeves.

I scanned my wardrobe twice more before pulling out a black dress and studying it closely before deciding it would have to do. It had thin straps that lead down to a modestly plunging neck line, and although it was knee length, it had a slit up the side leading up to mid thigh.

I hadn't worn the dress in a few years, and it had been a bit too tight to be comfortable back then, so I figured it would fit nicely enough now.

For my hair I decided to simply clip the front strands of my hair to the back of my head and letting the rest fall naturally. For my makeup I went for a dark smoky eye with a deep red lip colour.

I was just slipping my strappy black heels on when a knock came at my front door. A quick check through the bond told me that it wasn't Lissa, she was already on her way to the restaurant with Christian.

I opened the door to find Adrian leaning casually up against the doorframe, I had to admit, he looked incredibly handsome.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" I asked with a smile as I opened the door wider to let him in.

His eyes appreciatively roamed my body before he pulled me into a hug. "Damn Little Dhampir, you look stunning." He said sincerely.

"You look pretty good yourself." I stated honestly. He was wearing a deep blue shirt with a black suit jacket and trousers. His hair was tousled in a way that was sexily messy.

"Thank you. I came by to walk you to the restaurant, if that's alright?" He asked.

"Of course. Ready to go?" I asked as I picked up my clutch, in it was my purse, stake, house key and lipstick.

Being as gentlemanly as ever, he held his arm out for me to take once I had locked the front door, and we made our way to the restaurant in comfortable silence, arm in arm.

The restaurant was soon in sight, and I could even tell from the exterior that it was overly fancy. Perfect for a bunch of royal Moroi.

The front of the building was all glass windows, meaning we could see inside. It seemed we were the last to arrive. Lissa, Christian, Tasha and Dimitri were already seated around a large round table, two empty seats waiting for us. Tasha's hand was placed comfortably on Dimitri's arm, Dimitri barely seemed to notice, instead his eyes kept glancing around the restaurant.

My feet stopped moving on their own accord. Adrian looked at me with concern. "Hey, are you going to be okay?" Although I had always avoided the topic of Dimitri over the years, he had been mentioned once or twice while Adrian was in my company. I knew Adrian knew that Dimitri was the reason we couldn't maintain a relationship. But he seemed to know that we were better as friends. Friends who occasionally had benefits.

"I'll be fine, just need a minute to mentally prepare myself." I said with a forced laugh.

"Listen to me, if you want to leave just say the word and I'll go with you." He said sincerely.

"Thank you, Adrian. Now let's go in, I think I'm going to need a drink."

 **There we have Chapter 4! I can't believe how quickly I'm writing these chapters, I'm just enjoying it so much! I was going to include what happens in the restaurant in this chapter, but it seemed long enough already, so that will be in the next chapter, things do get interesting! Thank you so very much to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed the last chapter, I was blown away with how many reviews I got! Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please let me know your thoughts!**


	5. Chapter 5

After taking a deep breath and gripping Adrian's arm tighter, we made our way into the bustling restaurant. Adrian being as gentlemanly as ever, held the door open for me. After dripping his arm to open the door, he wrapped his arm around the back of my waist and gripped it there. I looked at him, giving him a questioning look, to which he simply shrugged, what was he up to?

We made our way over to the table, my knees wobbled with each step. Lissa stood up when she saw us with a massive smile on her dazzling face, she hugged us both before sitting down again, everyone else remained seated but greeted us kindly enough.

Adrian pulled out my chair out for me and tucked it in once I had sat down before sitting to my left; Lissa was sat to my right.

Christian was wearing a fitted suit making him look rather dashing. Tasha was wearing a floor length deep blue dress with a very, _very,_ plunging neck line. Was she trying to compensate for something?

My eyes instinctively found their way to Dimitri where he was sitting next to Tasha, and I automatically wished I hadn't looked. His hair was loose and framing his God-like face. He was wearing a perfectly fitting black shirt with the top button undone showing off the top of his perfect chest in a way that was simply mouth watering. I thought I was going to melt on the spot. I seriously needed to pull myself together. As my eyes travelled from his body to his face, I saw that his bottomless eyes were staring back at me; the look in his eyes could have set me on fire. I looked away as quickly as I could and tried to regain control of my breathing.

I realised while I was checking the Russian out I had almost missed ordering my drink. "Ma'am, what would you like to drink?" The Dhampir waiter politely asked me for what must have been the second time.

I cleared my throat before speaking. "A glass of white wine please, the largest glass you have." I said, making Adrian chuckle.

Conversation started up again once everyone had ordered their drinks. "So Rose, what did Guardian Croft want to see you about?" Lissa asked politely, obviously trying to include me in the conversation.

"Not a lot, it was quite dull really." I said noncommittally, trying to brush off the subject.

"That's not true; Dimka told me you'd be working with him." Tasha said defensively. Christ she was getting on my nerves already.

"Wow, really?" Lissa asked with surprise in her voice. She shot me a concerned glance. _'Why didn't you say something?'_ She asked through the bond, I caught her eye and simply shook my head.

Dimitri spoke for the first time since we had sat down at the table. "Actually, it's more like I'll be working _with_ Rose. I'll be shadowing her while she's on duty so people around Court can get used to seeing me back on duty again." His voice flowed past my ears, I had forgotten how incredible his voice was.

"That's _great."_ Tasha said overenthusiastically, almost sarcastically. "It'll be just like old times!"

Dimitri spoke up once again. "Actually it won't, Rose is my superior now, our roles have been reversed." He said with a small smile, making Tasha's eyebrows furrow ever so slightly. Was he really defending me against Tasha, that was certainly not what I was expecting.

I stayed out of the conversation for a while once our drinks had arrived; instead I focussed on drinking my wine at an acceptable pace when all I wanted to do was down it in one gulp.

It was strange that Dimitri had barely spoken much since we'd been here, and yet I was still acutely aware of his every movement. He did everything he could to make himself blend in and yet there was no way I could ever not be aware of his presence.

I had ordered the steak with fancy potato things, which was actually very nice. Adrian had ordered us a bottle of wine while ordering the food, and I was currently on my third glass.

Conversation had ceased to an end as we ate our food, leaving us in a somewhat uncomfortable silence. Until Adrian suddenly looked at me and broke the silence.

"Were you working last night Little Dhampir? I tried visiting your dreams but I couldn't get through." I gave an anxious smile as I swallowed my mouthful of food. All attention was on me now, and I felt the need to answer the question appropriately and try to pretend that my mouth wasn't starting to get numb and the tips of my fingers were tingling from the alcohol swimming through my veins.

"No I wasn't on duty, I just couldn't sleep, I had a rough night." I couldn't help but glance at Dimitri as I spoke, he was the cause of the sleepless night, and by the guilty look on his face, I knew he knew.

I kept out of the rest of the conversation and declined dessert when the waiter came round offering us the menu. "I don't think I've ever seen you turn down dessert Rose." Dimitri spoke up after the waiter left. I looked up in surprise, that was the first time Dimitri had spoken directly to me this evening, and by the look on his face, he seemed just as surprised as I did.

"There are a lot of things that are different about me now, Guardian Belikov." I said bluntly, before taking another sip of wine.

"You're right about that Rose, you've definitely matured a lot since I last saw you, you were just a child the last time we saw each other!" Tasha said way too enthusiastically. I'm not sure she knew that anything had ever happened between Belikov and I, but she just had to comment on my age. Well, two can play at that game.

I gave Tasha a sadistic smile. "You know you're totally right!" I said with fake enthusiasm. "You've certainly aged a lot since I last saw you too." Christian chocked on his drink as he held back a laugh, Adrian outright laughed out loud, and Dimitri coughed and covered his mouth to suppress his smile. Lissa was simply too shocked to react. Tasha on the other hand, may as well have had smoke coming out of her ears she looked so pissed off.

"So who wants another drink?" Christian asked eagerly.

"I think we could all use another drink, Chris." Adrian said as he called over the waiter and ordered another round of what we all had before.

Despite the awkward conversation me and Tasha had had, I could tell through the bond that Lissa was really enjoying her evening, which made me happy too. She knew Tasha could be a bit out of order sometimes, but she was honestly enjoying Dimitri's company, which surprised me a little.

MY muscles had gradually relaxed throughout the night and I was sat comfortably in my chair when Adrian slipped his arm around my shoulders. My back tensed instinctively before I remembered it was him, and I had nothing to worry about and let myself relax again. Dimitri's eyes followed the movement and the jealousy was showing deep in his eyes. That asshole has nothing to be jealous over; he has no hold over me anymore.

I pretty much zoned out for the rest of the evening as we finished off the last of the drinks. When we decided to call it a night, I was surprised to see how wobbly my legs were when I stood up. I stumbled ever so slightly but Adrian caught me around my waist before I could embarrass myself too much. "Jeez Rosie I thought you could handle your drink." Christian remarked slyly.

"I could drink you under the table any day Fireboy." I said before laughing out loud, turning a few heads as we walked through the restaurant towards the exit.

"That's true; you drank almost as much as Adrian did at one point." He commented a little more sombrely. I saw Dimitri's head turn ever so slightly with a frown on his face.

Dimitri and Tasha were going to the opposite side of court to us as they were staying in guest housing, meaning we said goodbye outside the restaurant. Tasha hugged Christian and Lissa tightly and visibly forced herself to hug me too. I didn't even glance at Dimitri as the others all bid him goodnight.

Lissa and Christian walked a few metres ahead of Adrian and I, and despite my somewhat drunken state I still ensured that I was aware of my surroundings, well, I was aware of Lissa's surroundings as I stumbled along behind her.

Adrians arm wrapped protectively around my waist was the only thing keeping me walking in the right direction.

We reached Lissa and Christians house first and walked them to the door. I hugged Lissa tight before addressing the two of them. "I'm sorry if I was rude tonight guys." I said feeling honest guilt.

"Wow you really must be drunk Rose, you don't often apologise for things." Christian said with forced humour. "But really its okay, Tasha was rude to you too, so you said nothing she didn't deserve." Lissa agreed but she couldn't think why Tasha was so rude to me, deep down I knew it was because of what Dimitri and I used to mean to each other.

We said goodnight and Adrian said he'd walk me to my door. We stood awkwardly for a moment after I had unlocked my front door. "Do you want to come in for a little while?" I asked him, I had a feeling he wanted to. I was proven right when he nodded.

I slipped off my shoes as soon as the door was shut, groaning at the feeling of my feet flat on the floor. "Damn, I forgot how much heels hurt." I sighed as I sat down on the sofa.

Adrian slipped off his jacket and sat down next to me. "They may hurt but they look damn good on you, Little Dhampir. You look incredible." He said while looking at me with a heated expression.

I knew that look, I had seen it it on more than a few occasions, I had given him a very similar look before as well on one of our many lust filled nights.

Adrian lifted his hand to my face and tilted my chin up so I was looking up at him through my eyelashes.

"Adrian..." I said, not really knowing what I was going to say. Did I want him to stop or did I want him to kiss me? I had no fucking idea.

He took my hesitation as a hint to continue, and before I knew it his lips were softly caressing mine, he was giving me the chance to push him away. He pulled away and looked into my eyes before slipping his hand into my hair and pulling my face to his, kissing me much more firmly this time. I couldn't help myself, I kissed him back.

I ran my hand up his chest until I was gripping the back of his neck, keeping him held against me.

The kiss deepened as he pulled me into his lap, so my thighs were resting on either side of his hips. My dress had bunched up to my waist and his hands were now expertly rubbing my thighs, making tingles run through my whole body.

I remembered when I used to kiss Dimitri and my whole body would come alive. It was like a bucket of ice cold water being poured over me.

I pushed against his chest and pulled my lips from his. "I'm sorry." I said when confusion covered his flawless face. "I just can't. It wouldn't be fair on you." I said decisively.

"I knew that Russian coming back would fuck with your head all over again. You can't let him do this to you Rose." He said as one of his hands gently grabbed my arm in a reassuring gesture.

"I know, I promise I won't let him hurt me again, I have this under control." I wasn't sure if I was trying to convince him or myself.

"You know I'm here for you Rose, anything you need." I genuinely smiled at him then.

"I am so sorry we didn't work out Adrian, I wish I wasn't so fucked up, you are an incredible man." I said honestly.

"I am too, hey I reckon we're better off like this anyway, God knows I've never been great at commitment, I would have done it for you though." He said with a small smile on his face.

I smiled back before kissing his cheek. "I love you, you know." I said completely honestly. I did love him, just not the way I needed to for us to be in a relationship.

"I love you too, Little Dhampir." He said, and I knew he felt the same way about me.

I climbed off his lap and instead snuggled into his side, he wrapped his arm comfortably around me. "You going to be alright working with the Russian tomorrow?" He asked.

"Shit I almost forgot about that." I said rubbing my eyes with the palm of my hand. "It's going to be horrible, why did Hans do this to me?!"

"You know why, because you're his best guardian and the best person for the job." He said comfortingly.

"I know but I wouldn't have tried so damn hard to be a good Guardian if I knew it was going to bite me in the ass." I said with fake humour, making us both laugh lightly.

"You'll be fine, you always are. Just don't go easy on him; he doesn't deserve your friendship."

"Believe me; I won't go easy on him." I said confidently.

"Anyways, it's getting late and I think you're going to feel shitty enough in the morning as it is so I should let you get to bed." He said as he untangled me from his arms and put his jacket back on.

I slowly stood up and waited for a moment for my head to stop spinning before walking to the door with him. I gave him a lasting hug and bid him goodnight.

After locking the door and grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen I made my way upstairs to my bedroom brushed my teeth, stripped off my clothes and practically fell into bed.

Despite my worries for tomorrow, I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

 **There we have Chapter 5! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has followed, favourited and reviewed, I absolutely love hearing from you all! I understand that some of you may not like the way in which I have portrayed Adrian and Rose's relationship, but I have always loved their friendship and thought it would be weird if they didn't get it on at all over the past 4 years (and it's only casual, they're not actually together anymore). I will get to writing the next chapter tomorrow, I'm really looking forward to writing Dimitri and Rose's first proper interaction together! Thank you so much for all your support, I really hope you liked the chapter so please let me know what you thought!**


	6. Chapter 6

"Dimitri..." I said hesitantly.

"Do not talk to me Rose, nothing you say is going to change the way I feel about you. Do you really think I could ever love you? Look at yourself. You are absolutely nothing." We were in the church again, the same church we were in when he ripped my heart out of my chest and tore it into pieces.

This isn't the first time I had had this particular dream, although nightmare is probably a more accurate description of it. Sometimes it's just Dimitri here, throwing verbal abuse at me, but sometimes all the other people I love join him in hurting me, Lissa, Christian, Adrian and Eddie sometimes join him in my sleeping mind.

"Please stop." I whispered.

The first few times I had this dream, I would scream and shout at him, and tell him exactly how little I thought of him. But that was a long time ago, and I knew now that nothing would stop the words from reaching my ears.

I woke up with a start, I sat upright in bed and looked around, making sure I really was in my bedroom and not anywhere else. My chest was heaving as I took deep breaths, I was covered in sweat.

That's when I noticed the throbbing ache in my head. Shit. I should have known I'd have a hangover this morning.

I let myself lay in bed for a little longer, absentmindedly scrolling through my cell phone until the light became unbearable and I decided a shower would do me some good.

I took my time in the shower, seeing as my shift didn't start until one o'clock. After dressing in my guardians uniform I also took my time eating breakfast; I poured myself a glass of orange juice and made up a bowl of cereal.

After lounging around the house a little longer I finally decided it was time I should leave and head over to the main gate where I would be meeting Dimitri, I didn't want to be late after all. No doubt he was expecting me to be late, as I always was for our practices at St Vladimir's, but I was going to do everything I could to show him that I was a completely different person to the one he used to know.

After checking my stake was safely in my holster, I locked the front door and slipped the key in my pocket before making my way through Court and heading over to the main gate.

I had arrived ten minutes early specifically so I would get there before Dimitri, meaning I now had time to kill. Recognising the Guardians on gate duty I went over and made small talk.

I glanced at my watch as Dimitri appeared through the row of trees; he was 5 minutes early, probably surprised to see me here already.

I stepped away from the Guardians I was talking to and crossed my arms over my chest as I stood waiting for the giant Russian to reach my side.

He stood before me with his hands clasped professionally behind his back. He was also wearing his Guardian uniform, with his duster over the top rather than the typical black jacket, and hot damn did he look good in it, I tried not to let my eyes linger on his body. "Good afternoon, Rose." He said, perfectly pleasantly.

"Guardian Belikov." I said as a way of greeting with a slight nod of my head. A look of hurt and surprise flashed across his features as I called him by his professional name.

He didn't reply, he simply waited for me to speak, so I did. "So I'm on ward duty today, and I figured we'd walk around Court a bit afterwards just so people can get used to seeing you about in your uniform with another Guardian." I said as we began walking the route of the wards, focussing my eyes on the invisible line, looking for anything abnormal, I could see Dimitri doing the same from the corner of my eye.

"Good plan." He said simply. His accented voice met my ears and it took a lot of energy into not letting my mind wander.

We had been walking for around an hour in uncomfortable silence when he finally spoke up. "It's been over an hour and you haven't said a word, seems very unlike you." He said with a hint of amusement in his accented voice.

I didn't even look at him as I spoke back. "Actually it's not unlike me. You'll find that a lot of things have changed about me since we were last in each other's company." I said matter-of-factly.

"I can see that. When did you cut your hair?" The sorrow in his voice was what brought me up short; I risked a glance at him and saw him studying me very carefully, his eyes flickering from my hair to my face.

"4 years ago, not that it is any of your concern." I said simply. I didn't look to see how he reacted to that, I instead carried on walking.

We were silent for some time again before he spoke again. "Don't you think we should talk, Rose? We're clearly going to be working together for a while; maybe we could try and be... friends?" It looked like saying the words physically pained him.

I was trying to keep my cool, but I finally lost it. I whirled around to him, making him flinch ever so slightly. "I would appreciate it if you called me Guardian Hathaway, and you lost the right to be my friend, or anything other than colleagues, four years ago. I would ask why you would even want to be friends with me, but I really don't care." I said while I continued scanning the wards and carried on walking, he was fast to follow.

We finally made it back to the gate after spending the rest of the shift in complete and utter silence. There was no way I was going to survive doing this everyday for the next few months.

I saw our replacements waiting for us at the gates. "Hey guys." I greeted Guardians Howes and McCarthy.

"Hey Hathaway." They both greeted and shook my hand, before glancing at Dimitri by my side.

"This is Guardian Belikov, he'll be joining me on my shifts from now on for the foreseeable future." I said as evenly toned as I could. They shook hands and shared pleasantries before they excused themselves and started their shift.

"So we're going to walk around Court a bit now, there will be more Moroi walking around and it's important that they see us walking around casually." I said trying to sound as convincing as possible; I knew all this was ridiculous, how on earth could anyone think that Dimitri was unsafe to be around?

We covered a lap of the Court grounds before I was ready to call it a day, I slowed my walk into a stop and rubbed at my temples trying to soothe the headache that was now a dull ache after taking a punch of painkillers before I left that morning. "I thought you might be feeling rough this morning considering how much you drank last night." Dimitri said as way of starting a conversation.

"Yeah well, I found myself in need of a little mind numbing." I said, simply stating a fact.

We had finished our walk around Court just beside one of the Guardians gyms. "I suppose we should call it a day now, I seriously doubt anyone really cares about you walking about, it's been long enough." I said honestly.

"Whatever you say, it's handy we're by the gym, I was going to train for a while after our shift anyway." He said before hesitating ever so slightly. "I could use a sparring partner, if you want to join me?" He asked almost nervously.

I bit my lip and thought about it for a moment. I kind of was getting tired of sparring with everyone else around here, and it had been so long since I had sparred with my old mentor, it would be kind of fun to see how easily I could kick his ass.

I saw his eyes glance down to my lips as he followed the movement, and I could swear his gaze heated up ever so slightly. I released my bottom lip from between my teeth before answering him. "Sure, I suppose it might be fun to see how long you last against me Belikov." I said before walking confidently into the gym.

We didn't need to change into any gym clothes, which was useful seeing as neither of us had any with us, and our Guardian uniforms were specifically made to make it easy for us to fight if we needed to.

A few heads turned in our direction as we walked into the gym; we were quite a well known pair I suppose. We chose an appropriate area of the gym and I unclipped my holster and slipped off my jacket from my shoulders, I saw Dimitri do the same with his duster before doing some warm up stretches.

After a good ten minutes of stretching we stood before each other and simultaneously crouched into a defensive position. "Rules?" He questioned.

"First to fake stake the other wins, other than that anything goes."

He nodded before counting down. "3, 2, 1, go."

Neither of us attacked first, we simply circled each other in our defensive positions; I knew he was following my movements, as I was doing to him.

I also knew that he was expecting me to attack first. Back at the Academy, I would often become impatient and simply attack him first, efficiently falling into his trap, but I wouldn't be doing that this time.

Dimitri also seemed to realise this, as without warning he flew out his right fist aiming straight for the side of my face, his arm moved almost with Strigoi speed, but I just managed to duck my head down as his fist went flying over my head. I didn't waste a second after that, I sent three quick punches into his ribs, and felt his body shift, ready to grab me and pin me, but not before I quickly twisted out of his arms so we were circling one another again.

We continued on like this for some time, both attempting to get past the others guards and failing.

I could tell Dimitri was surprised by my speed, he knew I was good before, but I was practically lethal now. He feigned a punch to my right before actually going for a punch to my shoulder with his left fist, I managed to swing out of range just in time, and I knew I needed to act now while he was stepping towards me.

After stepping away from him I quickly stepped around him so I was right behind him, I hooked my leg around his and pulled as hard as I could, grunting in the process. I pulled his leg towards me and shoved his upper body away from me in order to unbalance him, and it worked. He stumbled ever so slightly and I took the chance to jump fully onto his back and shove him to the ground.

He was experienced enough to twist as he fell, giving him a fighting chance, but I also knew he would do that, and placed both hands onto his chest above his rapidly beating heart before he could try and fight back. "Dead." I declared in a whisper.

I could see the surprise clearly on his face, but also pride was radiating strongly off him. We were both breathing heavily, and it was then that I realised the position we were in. I was staddling his waist with both my hands still resting on his broad and toned chest while he was gazing up at me with his hands on my legs from when he was ready to push me off only moments ago, he looked like he was ready to do anything but push me off now.

"Well done Roza, you are incredible." He whispered so low I almost didn't hear him.

It was like a bucket of ice cold water had been poured over me. What the fuck was I doing? Why was I still straddling him? Wasn't he with Tasha? I actually didn't know the details of their relationship, no one had said anything, and I hadn't exactly seen them kiss, so I really had no idea.

I leapt off his body as quickly as I could and took a deep shuddering breath.

Dimitri visibly blinked several times before standing up slowly.

"Again. Fight me like its life or death; I could do with a challenge." I said with a mischievous smirk on my face. I was ready for a good fight.

I attacked first this time, I faked a punch to his left side, and instead swung a roundhouse kick right up to his head, I wasn't sure if he saw it coming but he managed to stop it anyway, his strong calloused hand grabbed my calf and kept a hold of me there as he went to grab my other arm.

I realised he had me in a tricky spot and so tried something I had never dared to do before. I let my leg that was holding me upright go limp, meaning I fell to the floor with a hard thud, but he also lost his balance as he wasn't expecting me to go down, which gave me the opportunity to kick him hard in his stomach.

That moment of shock was all I needed for me to pull my leg out of his grip and stand in front of him again. He didn't give me even a second to catch my breath and instead swung his leg out low, ready to knock me completely off my feet. I jumped over his swinging leg, and in the heartbeat that I was in the air he grabbed me by my upper arm and pulled me towards him with his arm raised ready to stake me where my heart was thundering in my chest.

I scanned my mind for the correct way to get out of this and pulled my leg back from him and swung the end of my shoe into his leg as hard as I could. The Russian swear word that flew from his mouth was the only thing that told me I may have kicked him a little too hard.

I took my chance and grabbed his arm that was just coming towards me and spun so that my back was against his chest, before pulling him with all my weight and shoving him onto the ground.

He must have seen that move coming because as we were falling fast through the ground he managed to twist his body so that I landed onto the hard ground first, and he landed on top of me with his hands pressed firmly against my chest, and I had no idea how he did it. "Fuck." I growled, only making him smile and shake his head.

I rested my head back against the floor as I caught my breath. I felt his breath wash over my face and looked up at him through my eyelashes to see him gazing down at me with an unreadable look on his face. His hands were still placed on my chest and I felt my skin heat up at the touch.

It was then that I realised that we had an audience, who were circled around us, by the looks of things they had been there the whole time. "We have an audience." I said up to the Russian still pinning me to the floor. He glanced up in shock as looked genuinely embarrassed when he saw all the eyes looking towards us.

Guardian Croft broke the line of the circle and walked towards us with a small smile on his usually serious face. He held out a hand and helped Dimitri up, and then did the same for me, patting me on the shoulder. "You two put on a good show, I must say I'm impressed. I haven't seen a duo like you two in a long time; it gives the other Guardians something to aspire to. Keep it up." He said before leaving as suddenly as he came.

"I'm glad you didn't go easy on me." I said as we headed back over to where we had left our stakes and jackets.

"I've never gone easy on you, Rose, even back at the Academy." That news shocked me. Dimitri was known as a God, I always kind of assumed he held back when he sparred with me.

He was still proudly admiring me when I pulled on my jacket and strapped on my holster and addressed him. "Eddie and I are escorting Lissa to the Queen's meeting room tomorrow, she has some meeting with all the royals, if you meet us all at Lissa's tomorrow morning at 9, we'll go on from there."

"Of course, that's fine, I'll see you there." He said simply.

I simply nodded before briskly walking away and out of the doors into the fresh air without looking back.

I can't believe I still allowed myself to react to his touch the way I did earlier. It had been four years for fucks sake. I had fully convinced myself that I would never see Dimitri Belikov again when he had left me, and now that he was back in my life and clearly wasn't going anywhere soon, my body was reacting to our connection without my minds say so.

 **There we have Chapter 6! The plot of the story will really start to shape up during the next chapter, and so I am excited for the drama to start! Thank you so much to everyone who has followed, favourited and reviewed this story, I absolutely love reading what you all have to say, it really makes my day! Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, please let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

I was sat at Lissa and Christian's breakfast bar eating bacon and eggs with Eddie when the doorbell rang. I didn't need to glance at my watch to know that Dimitri was right on time.

He followed Lissa into the kitchen and I immediately lost my appetite, I instead pushed the remaining bits of bacon around my plate until it was time to go. Simply the sight of him set my stomach on edge. It's almost as if there is a chord between us and it pulls tight as soon as we're in the same room together. It was becoming very tiring.

There was no need for us to use the near and far guard technique while we were safely behind the wards of Court, and so the four of us walked towards the Queens palace as a group, although I kept as far away from Dimitri as possible and instead spoke to Eddie.

When the Queens chambers were in sight, Lissa caught my attention. "You'll stay with me won't you Rose? Even if you can't come in?" She asked almost nervously.

"Of course, I'll be with you." I said honestly, trying to reassure her. I knew these meetings with the Queen made her nervous, and even more so with all the other Royals in attendance.

A guardian I vaguely recognised escorted us to the Queens meeting room and knocked on the door for us before leaving. There were many more guardians posted outside the room compared to the last time we were here, probably because there were many more royals already inside the room.

One of the royals answered the door this time rather than the Queen herself this time. "Ah, Princess Dragomir, a pleasure to see you!" One of the many Ivashkov royals said as she greeted her, Adrian will most likely be in there too.

Eddie, Dimitri and I placed ourselves along the wall facing the door as it shut behind our charge, the other guardians moved up slightly to accommodate us.

I waited for about 5 minutes before slipping into Lissa's mind. She was stood talking with Adrian when the Queen called them all over to sit around the table.

"Thank you all for joining me here today. In case you hadn't noticed, Princess Dragomir will be joining us during these meetings from now on, seeing as she is permanently living in Court and will hopefully be playing a larger role in the running here in our Court."

She received a few pleasant looks and smiles from the other Royals and I figured now was a good time to pull out of her head. I glanced around the hall and saw that Dimitri had been studying me out of the corner of his eye. He probably knew I was with Lissa.

Some more time passed before I decided it was about time I checked on her again. I blinked and saw through her eyes once more, I could feel nerves and unease coursing through her and dug a little deeper to find out why. The Queen had been rather bold during the meeting about Lissa's importance for the council and for our society as a whole, which really unnerved her. I wish I could send her reassuring thoughts; it would just have to wait until she was out of there.

The Queen called the meeting to an end and asked Lissa to stay behind, making her all the more nervous.

I pulled out of her mind once more to watch the other royals leave with their Guardians, Adrian gave me a cheeky smile as he passed by which I discreetly returned.

Once the hallway was completely empty other than the three of us and two of the Queens personal Guardians, I slipped back into Lissa's head.

"I understand these meetings can be overwhelming the first few times Princess Dragomir, I went through the same thing when I was similar to your age. Although I was a bit older than you when I became Queen." She said with her noble voice. Lissa really had no idea where she was going with this conversation.

"What an honour that must have been, Your Majesty." Lissa said as confidently as she could.

"Indeed it was, one you might one day get to experience." She said with a knowing tone to her voice. Was the Queen really openly suggesting that Lissa might be Queen?

"I'm not sure Christian and I plan on having children any time soon, if that what you mean, Your Majesty." She said as politely as possible, it seemed difficult to try not to insult the Queen when talking about such a matter. But there was no way Lissa could become Queen when she is the only existing member of her family.

"No, of course not. You are only just engaged of course. But what a beautiful wedding it will be. Have you set a date yet?" She asked kindly.

"Not yet, but we hopefully will soon."

"Perfect. Well if that's everything I'll see you at the next meeting." She said as a polite was of dismissing her.

"Thank you for inviting me, Your Majesty." She said as the Queen opened the door to the hallway that I was currently standing in.

I flew back into my own mind in time to see the Queen and my best friend walk out of the room.

The Queen's eyes glanced around the corridor and stopped sharply on me when she saw me. Then an interesting smile formed on her face, I had no idea what that look meant.

"Guardian Hathaway, might I see you for a moment?" She asked.

My eyes widened ever so slightly and I glanced at Lissa, not entirely sure what to do. "Oh Princess Dragomir will be perfectly fine with Guardians Castile and Belikov." She said almost tiresomely.

"Of course, Your Majesty." I said as calmly as I could as I followed her back into the meeting room. A quick message through the bond from Lissa told me that she would meet me at the coffee shop not far from here.

The Queen sat down at the large meeting table and gestured for me to take the seat opposite her. "You enjoyed your time at St Vladimirs Academy Guardian Hathaway, did you not?" She asked, obviously getting straight to the point rather than wasting time with pleasantries.

"Yes, I would say so, Your Majesty." I said, not really knowing where this conversation was going.

"Good, I am glad to hear it. There has been some strange Strigoi activity around the outskirts of the Academy, similar movements to those outside our own wards here in fact. If I may be so bold, I'd like to get straight to the point. I hope that you know that what I am about to tell you must not leave this room under any circumstances." She said seriously, I felt my heart speed up ever so slightly and found myself becoming nervous of what she was about to ask me.

"Of course, I understand." I said as confidently as possible.

"To get right to the point, I have reason to believe that a threat to my life is on its way, and it would not be the first time for such a thing to happen." She said. My whole body tensed at the implication of her words, alert for danger just at her words. "Which has lead me to think about my replacement. You and I both know that Vasilisa is one of the most suitable candidates, but due to the law there is no way she can do so whilst being the only member of her family. So what I am asking of you is this. If there was any way for Vasilisa to become Queen with your help, would you do it?"

How on earth did she trust me with information with this? I am absolutely no one compared to her, nothing. And yet I knew that I couldn't pass up on an opportunity like this, so I answered without skipping a beat. "Of course, I would do anything to help benefit our society."

"Wonderful. I'm afraid this is all I can tell you at this moment in time. But I will be asking more of you soon Guardian Hathaway." She stood up and guided me towards the door.

She actually extended her hand towards me and shook mine after I hesitantly put my hand in hers. "Thank you, Guardian Hathaway. Remember what I said about this staying between the two of us. "

"Thank you for trusting me with this, I can assure you I won't let you down." I said before heading down the hallway that I came from earlier today, it felt like years ago.

My mind was whirling as I headed over to the cafe where I would be meeting Lissa. What on earth could the Queen want me to do? It must have something to do with St Vlads and something to help Lissa become Queen.

I walked into the cafe in a daze and almost walked past the table that Lissa was sitting at. I almost turned and ran out when I saw that Tasha and Dimitri were sat there along with Lissa and Eddie.

"Rose!" Lissa called when she caught sight of me, great, no chance of running away now.

Eddie pulled up a chair for me to sit beside him, meaning I was sat across Tasha and the Russian.

"What did the Queen want to talk to you about?" Lissa asked just as I sat down.

Crap, what do I tell them? "Not a lot really, she just wanted to know how things were going around Court, if there were any changes I thought she should be aware of." I said as naturally as I could, hoping I sounded sincere.

"That's odd; surely she would want to hear from someone more high-up in the ranks?" Tasha asked. I wasn't entirely sure if she was meant to sound like a bitch when she asked, but either way I wasn't about to let her talk to me like that.

I could sense the tension around the table suddenly become very intense when everyone else realised how she sounded as well.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Why don't you ask her yourself seeing as you're so high up in the ranks of the Moroi?" I saw her jaw drop and I smiled sweetly at her.

She didn't say anything else and instead placed her hand on Dimitri's upper arm giving him a loving look. I very carefully watched his reaction. He placed a tolerant smile onto his face when he looked down at Scarface, that smile quickly vanished when he saw me following the movement. He also turned away from Tasha completely and instead started a conversation with Eddie. What the hell did all that even mean?

I decided I had had enough of their company and went to excuse myself. "I think I'm going to get changed and go for a run." I said as I stood up and pushed my chair under the table. "I'll see you guys soon." I said before turning and walking away without giving anyone a chance to stop me.

I had run a few laps of the whole of Court by the time I decided to call it a night. I was simply dressed in a sports bra and a pair of running leggings, I was going to head over to say goodnight to Lissa and Christian as I jogged past theirs but I kept on running when I saw Dimitri leaving their house.

His eyes widened when he spotted me. "Rose!" He shouted before I could get too far. I thought about just keeping on running when I decided that I really did want to know what the hell he wanted. And so I stopped a wiped the sweat off my brow while he walked towards me.

"Yes?" I asked impatiently.

I saw his eyes roam over my body as he walked towards me and stood in front of m, my whole body came alive with heat as I saw his eyes scan my form.

"What did the Queen want?" He asked while raising a single eyebrow. Damn him, I swear I was the only one who couldn't do that.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I already told you earlier."

"I know you did, but I know when you're lying and you were definitely lying earlier."

I scowled at him. "Alright Mystic Meg, what makes you think I was lying?"

"You wouldn't look Vasilisa in the eye and you bit the inside of your cheek after you spoke." He said acting as if he had figured out the biggest secret ever.

"Alright, seeing as you seem to think you know absolutely everything about me, you must know that I wouldn't lie to Lissa unless it was absolutely essential. So keep out of it." I said matter-of-factly.

His eyes flickered to the floor as a look of guilt briefly passed over his chiselled features. "You're right. Of course I shouldn't have asked." He said as he took a step back. I hadn't realised how close we had become while we were having our little _disagreement._ I also took a step back as the realisation hit me. Why was this happening?

"Are you going to let me go now the interrogation is over?" I asked sarcastically while pulling my front door key out of my pocket.

"Yes, sorry. I'll see you tomorrow for your shift?" He asked.

"Yep. We're on gate duty, but only for a few hours as I'm just covering someone else's shift." I said matter-of-factly.

"Great, see you tomorrow." He said as he walked away in the direction of guest housing.

Thoughts of the Queens words and the image of a certain Russians bottomless eyes were still swirling around my head that night as I went to bed. I was calmly falling into a deep sleep when I was violently pulled into a spirit dream. I hadn't been in a spirit dream from anyone but Adrian in a long while, so you could understand my shock when I was brutally pulled into one by two people I really didn't want to see.

 **There we have Chapter 7! Thank you so much to everyone who has followed, favourited and reviewed for the previous chapter, I really appreciate it! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you think as I love to hear from you and hear what you think. Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

I opened my eyes and found myself in what looked to be a casino in Las Vegas, there was a bar, several slot machines and tables for playing cards on. The only odd thing was that it was completely empty and completely silent. That is until I turned around and saw Victor Dashkov and Robert Doru stood very smugly in front of me.

"Ah Rosemarie, so good to see you again, and look how grown up you are!" Victor crowed at me as he and his brother took a few steps towards me.

Victor had certainly aged a lot over the years he had been missing, his face was now littered with wrinkles and his demeanour was slouched rather than the bold and graceful stance he used to exhibit. His brother looked equally as unhinged, although he didn't look quite as old, he reminded me of a lost puppy, he may as well have been clinging to his brother's leg.

I had to remember that Victor at least was a fugitive, and Robert may as well have been. Although I _was_ the one that broke the former Prince out of prison, I knew I should be wary of him and just find out what he wants with me.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of you invading my dreams?" I asked sceptically.

"Need there be a reason for visiting a dear friend? We simply wanted to just check up on you. You're living at Court are you not? With Vasilisa?" He said with a sickly sweet smile on his face. He was certainly up to something and alarm bells were already going off in my head, why would he want to know about Court _and_ about Lissa?

"Oh you know how it is; we've been here and there." I said noncommittally, I certainly won't be giving him any indication of our location. I trust Victor Dashkov about as far as I could throw him, which was not very far at all.

"Oh I do know how it is. Rumour has it there is strange Strigoi activity going on around your dear old Academy, did you know that? I wonder what they could possibly want..." He said giving me a questioning look, as if I knew something and he wanted to know what.

"I didn't know that actually, I have no idea what they could want. I'm surprised it's happening while I'm not there though, bad things only seem to happen to that place while I'm there to deal with them." I said jokingly, forcing a smile onto my face and a laugh to bubble from my throat.

"Oh I'm sure you'll find a way to get involved, you always do after all." He said with a knowing look.

"Unfortunately I think you're right about that. Anyway, cut the crap. What do you really want?" Another thing I knew about Victor Dashkov was that he never did anything without an ulterior motive, and I was tired of guessing his.

"Nothing I can tell you right now, but I can assure you we'll be seeing each other soon." He said, his face could be described as nothing but pure evil.

I took three steps forward until I was right up in his face. "Don't mess with me Victor. I know I'm the one who got you out of Tarasov, but believe me I am perfectly capable of putting you back in there." I went to grab him bit the collar of his shirt but before I could so much as lift my hand I was suddenly thrown through the air and I felt my body smash into one of the many gambling tables that were little around the room.

I felt wood break beneath my back as my body made impact with the table. The air was completely knocked out of me.

I got into a defensive position as quickly as I could. However when I caught sight of the brothers I knew I had no need to.

Victor was pretty much supporting all of Robert's weight. Holding me in the dream for so long and then knocking me away much have taken all his strength from him.

"It was a pleasure to see you again Rosemarie. I promise you this won't be the last you see of us." Victor said with a confident grin before the brothers and the Casino faded from my mind.

Typically after Adrian's pleasant spirit dreams I was able to carry on sleeping undisturbed, that was not the case this time. I instead jerked awake. I ran my hands briefly over my back and shoulders checking for any pain that might have lingered from the dream. The pain wasn't there but the memory sure was.

I tossed and turned for a few more minutes before decided I was wasting time, there was no getting back to sleep now.

I changed out of my skimpy pyjamas and instead put on a tank top and some sweat pants before putting my stake in my pocket and slipping my shoes on and leaving the house, locking the door behind me.

I didn't exactly have a destination in mind when I started walking. It was the middle of the Moroi night and so the sun was shining high up in the sky. I revelled in the heat of the sun on my skin; I so rarely got to enjoy the rays anymore.

I walked and walked until I came across a lake near the outskirts of the Court; it was surrounded by long grass and tall trees.

I found a patch of grass that was in the sun and decided to sit down looking out across the lake.

Why the hell would Victor and Robert make themselves known to me now? And why ask about Court _and_ St Vlads. I knew it was a possibility that they had something to do with the strange Strigoi activity, but I just needed to figure out what they wanted.

I had my head rested on my clenched fist when I felt myself dozing off.

That is until I heard a shuffle of a shoe against the grass right behind me, I didn't think, I just reacted.

I swung my leg around and knocked whoever it was right off their feet, I pulled my stake out of my pocked and had it held above their chest within a blink of an eye.

"Fucking hell why do you keep creeping up on me? You should know it's going to end like this by now!" I yelled when I realised it was Dimitri I had taken down.

"Sorry." He mumbled as he looked up at me. It was then that I took in his appearance. His hair was loose around his face and he wore sweat pants similar to my own and a loose shirt beneath his duster. He looked like he'd just rolled out of bed.

I strand of his hair was covering his eye, and he didn't look like he was going to move it any time soon.

Before I could even think about what I was doing my hand lifted on its own accord and brushed the soft strand of hair behind his ear, his hair was just as soft as I remembered it being.

The look in his eyes morphed from surprise to utter shock, they then darkened and he tilted his face into the touch of my hand. His jaw was covered in stubble that told me he hadn't yet shaved, the skin beneath that was so soft I never wanted to break the contact. Shivers ran up my fingertips where our skin made contact.

His face was completely filled with awe. And it was then that I realised what I was doing, and had no idea why I was doing it. I dropped my hand and leapt off him as quickly as I could.

I stood there just staring at him for a moment, trying to get my breath under control, before I decided I wouldn't let him ruin this beautiful scene for me and sat back down facing the lake once more after slipping my stake back into my pocket.

I didn't need to turn to look at him to know that he was considering what to do. He cleared his throat as he made a decision and I heard the grass rustle against his shoes once more before I felt and saw him sit beside me, leaving a considerable gap between our bodies.

I had my face tilted up in the direction of the sun when he spoke for the first time. "You are incredible." He whispered.

My eyes flew towards him and my jaw dropped. "What?" I must have heard him wrong, there's no way he would have said anything like that to me.

"I..I'm sorry. I mean you're always on alert. I can't believe you took me down like that so quickly, I'd blame it on being half asleep but you did it perfectly fine the first time you saw me." Oh, of course, he didn't really mean to call me _incredible._

"Yeah well, I'm half asleep too and I managed to bring you down, you weigh like half a tone too." I said with a playful tone in my voice so he knew I was joking.

Then the most beautiful sound reached my ears. Dimitri was laughing.

I tried to stop it; I really tried to stop it. But one minute I was simply smiling then the next I was laughing along with him.

"You know for a while you had me worrying I would never see you smile again." Were his next words, they made the laugh fall short on my lips.

"Clearly you haven't been paying attention, I smile all the time." I said while looking away from him. I couldn't look at him while he had that look in his eyes. I couldn't even name the look, but it made me feel warm inside.

"I've done nothing but pay attention since I got here. And you know as well as I do that those smiles are forced onto your face for the benefit of your friends." He said knowingly as if he had figured out the biggest secret in the world.

I took in a deep breath of air before exhaling slowly. "Why are you here?" I asked.

"I was walking when I saw you sitting here; I thought you could use some company. Couldn't you sleep?"

"No, I couldn't." I said.

"Alright, clearly you don't want to talk about it." He replied.

"No, I don't. What about you? Was Tasha taking up too much of the bed?" I retorted, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice.

"I couldn't sleep either. And I enjoy being outside when the sun is out. I know it's been years now, but I can never get enough of the feeling of the sun on my face." I understood what he was saying, and it made sense. Although I did notice that he avoided the part about Tasha.

As if reading my mind, he continued. "And Tasha and I... we're not... I don't share a bed with her."

Dimitri was always so good with words, and here he was stuttering and struggling to find words.

"Bet she was well on board with that arrangement." I said with a roll of my eyes.

"We tried it but decided it was for the best if I had my own room, I used to... still do struggle to sleep. But yes, she was reluctant."

"So you're not... together?" I asked, before realising my mistake. I would have ripped his head off if he had asked me that a few days ago. "You know what, don't answer that. It's none of my business and what you do is really none of my concern."

"It's okay. She wanted us to be together, and we tried it for the first few months, but I just couldn't do it. The guilt was just..." He didn't even finish the sentence, he didn't need to.

"You didn't think you were worthy." I hadn't realise I had finished the sentence for him out loud until his eyes snapped towards me and he looked at me with shock.

"Well you are worthy, it may not be with Tasha necessarily, but you deserve to live your life."

He shook his head as if he was in disbelief. "You always used to know the right things to say, even now you do."

"I don't know about that. We were always on the same page before." I admitted carefully.

"And we're not now?" He asked.

"Things are different now." Was all I said in reply.

"Did you hear Tatiana is making Lissa and Chris throw a fancy engagement party on Friday? I'm not sure the Queen is even going it's just a show for the rest of the royals." Lissa and Christian had been planning their party for a few days now.

"Yes, Tasha and I plan on going. I assume you will be there?" He asked.

"Champagne on tap and the chance to wear a fancy dress? Of course I'll be there." I said honestly making him chuckle before the conversation sobered up again.

"People have been saying things to me Rose, things like I have no idea what these past four years have been like for you. I just wanted to apologise. If I had any idea that my leaving would make things more difficult for you, I never would have left. I just wanted to do what was best for you." He said, his voice was hoarse.

"That wasn't your decision to make, Dimitri! You had no right to decide what was best for me!" I yelled, making birds flap out of the trees surrounding us.

I glanced around before lowering my voice. "You have no idea what it was like, I broke every rule in the book for you but clearly it wasn't enough and you just fucked off with Tasha."

"I just couldn't see a way that you could possible forgive me after what I had done, the guilt would have killed me." He said in barely a whisper.

"There was nothing to forgive. I know it wasn't you that did those things."

"Rose, you were the one person... I just couldn't do it to you. You were my whole world and I destroyed you." He said not even able to look at me.

I couldn't hear any more of this; I stood up and crossed my arms over my chest. "Look at me." I demanded. His eyes reluctantly met mine.

"The minute you destroyed me was in that Church, and you knew exactly what you were doing. That hurt way more than anything you could have ever done as a Strigoi." He visibly flinched and wondered if I had perhaps gone too far, but I knew he needed to hear the words.

"Roza..." Hearing that name, that word, brought everything flooding back. All the time he had affectionately called me by my name in his native tongue. Every stolen kiss and secret touch. I tried to contain the flinch but it was no use.

"Do not call me that, anything but that." I said with a shaking voice. "I'll see you later for our shift." I said before turning on my heel and walking away. I could feel his eyes on my back but I didn't turn back.

I knew being around him was going to be difficult, but I didn't realise it was going to be quite t _his_ difficult.

 **There we have Chapter 8! I'm thinking the next chapter will be in Dimitri's point of view, for Lissa and Christians engagement party! Thank you so much to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed for the last chapter, I really appreciate it! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you think! Thanks so much for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Dimitri's Point Of View.**

I had just slipped the jacket of my tuxedo when Tasha walked into the sitting room of our suite in guest housing.

Tasha had done everything in her power to get us to share a bedroom when we first arrived at Court; I had to pull the Guardian who was assigning us our room aside and bribe him with a 20 dollar bill to convince him to give us a suite rather than a double room.

"Oh Dimka you look so handsome!" She crooned as she entered the room. She was wearing a black dress that showed way too much cleavage and way too much leg and hugged her non-existent curves far too tightly.

"Thank you." I muttered as I slipped my stake into the inside pocket of my jacket, looking anywhere but at her.

"Uh-hum." Tasha over exaggeratedly cleared her throat, I reluctantly looked up at her, giving her a questioning look.

"Well, how do I look?" She said giving me a twirl with her arms above her head so her dress rose even higher over her legs. I mentally rolled my eyes.

"Fine, are you ready to go?" I asked as I opened the front door of our suite.

I saw the shocked look across her face before she recovered herself and wondered if I should feel guilty about not paying her a proper compliment, but I honestly didn't want to have to lie to her. Besides, Tasha had not made these past few years easy on me.

Although we had made an attempt at a relationship, I just couldn't do it. Every time she touched me it was Roza's face in front of me, not Tasha's. And honestly, I felt guilty for having to picture it was Rose kissing me instead of Tasha.

I knew I couldn't commit myself to her no matter how hard I tried. I knew I had to move on from Rose, hell, she had moved on from me, wasn't she still dating Ivashkov?

Tasha and I had spoken about it for a long time, and I eventually told her it wasn't fair on her for us to carry on trying to be in a relationship. For a while it was fine, we simply lived together as friends. And then she must have become bored or something, as she became seriously needy and kept making passes at me.

I locked the door after we left and Tasha grabbed onto my arm. I couldn't be bothered to argue with her about it and so I left her hand where it was.

We crossed court until we reached the ballroom in which Vasilisa and Christian's engagement party was being held. A Moroi I didn't recognise crossed our names off the guest list and lead us through grand double doors into the ballroom.

The ceiling was at least three stories high with gold carvings of intricate designs on the walls.

The room was filled with expensively dressed people scattered around the room. I was pleasantly surprised to see both Dhampir and Moroi in attendance. I had been to many of this type of party before when I was guardian Ivan, however I was always stationed along the walls with the other Dhampir, and this is the first party I had been to where Guardians were invited too. And although there were Guardians stationed around the room, many of them were speaking to each other whilst keeping an eye out on their surroundings.

If I knew Vasilisa like I thought I did, I had to assume that she had spoken to the Guardians before they started their shift and told them to be as casual as they liked while on duty, I knew she hated the segregation between our two species, and I had to tell myself I would thank her for it later.

I nodded to a few of the Guardians as I entered the room that politely nodded back, but as I scanned the crowd of people in attendance of the party, I couldn't see anyone I recognised, although I knew I was only looking for one person in particular.

Tasha obviously knew a few people though as she dragged me along to a group of Moroi and started talking animatedly. A waiter came round with a tray of tall flutes of champagne. I took one and sipped from it carefully. The bubbles flowed pleasantly down my throat and I took a moment to appreciate the feeling of the bubbles on my taste buds.

It has been four years and I still liked to take a moment to appreciate new tastes, sights and flavours.

I instinctively scanned the room once more and noticed Guardian Castile speaking with a few other Guardians I recognised from one place or another. I excused myself from my current group and pulled my arm away from Tasha before approaching Castile.

I had never been great at mingling and talking to people I didn't know very well, but I knew I should try and make an effort especially since people were supposed to be getting used to seeing me around Court.

"Belikov!" Guardian Castile greeted as I approached before shaking my hand.

"Castile, good to see you." I replied in response while shaking his hand.

"You've met Guardians Cook and Gunn haven't you?" He said while gesturing to the Guardians in front of me.

"Yes, I believe so." I said while politely shaking their hands.

We spoke for a few minutes before the newly introduced Guardians excused themselves, leaving me with just Guardian Castile.

"So, you enjoying being back on duty around here?" Castile asked.

"Sure, although I wish I didn't have to make it so hard on Rose." I saw him frown and chose to explain myself. "I'm not doing anything intentionally; just being around me seems to annoy her."

He took a sip of his drink before speaking. "I know you're not doing anything on purpose man, but you have to understand, no one was allowed to speak your name for four years, and then just showing up? It must have been a shock for her."

They weren't even allowed to say my _name?_

My eyes instinctively scanned the room again as I took a sip from my drink, and that's when I saw her.

Suddenly the room was empty and she and I were the only ones in the whole world. She was wearing a beautiful shining gold dress; it had thin straps and flowed down her waist with a slit up the side, the top of her thigh slipped through when she walked. She looked classy and sexy at the same time. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Her hair was tied up into an elegant knot on her head with a few short strands shaping her flawless face.

She was absolutely glowing.

I would have wondered if she was an angel visiting my dreams, but if I were indeed dreaming then she wouldn't have her hand tightly gripping the arm of Adrian Ivashkov.

I had every detail of Rose imprinted into my mind, I would never forget the ring of honey gold around the pupil of her eye, nor would I ever forget the way the corner of her mouth twitches when she's trying to suppress a smile. Nor would I forget the way her jaw clenches when she's trying not to say something she knows she shouldn't.

I watched her eyes scan the room until they landed on Castile who was still by my side, her face lit up into a smile when she took in the appearance of her friend, the smile dropped ever so slightly when she saw me next to him, and I tried to ignore the painful tightening in my chest and the sudden struggle to catch my breath.

I saw her grip tighten on Ivashkov's arm as she dragged him over to where we were standing.

"Eddie!" She shouted excitedly. She released Adrian's arm and held her arms out for Eddie, he opened his arms for her and she stepped into his embrace.

That's when I saw her back.

Her glowing golden dress dipped down to her waist at the back. Her neck and upper back was littered with Molnija marks.

She had a Zvezda and at least two Molnija when I last saw her, but now she had so many they travelled down her back and between her shoulder blades.

I tore my eyes away from Roza's beautiful bare back when Ivashkov cleared his throat and held his hand out in front of me.

I look at him for a moment before shaking his hand.

Rose untangled herself from Eddie's arms before turning to me. She wasn't smiling exactly, but she had a smirk on her face that told me that she was almost challenging me to say something wrong.

I had just opened my mouth to say something, anything, when I heard Vasilisa shout Rose's name from somewhere within the room.

"Rose!" Roza's face lit up in a breathtaking smile when she took in the appearance of her recently engaged best friend.

"Lissa! Oh my God you look beautiful!" She exclaimed as she threw herself into her arms.

Vasilisa was wearing a floor length deep green gown, she looked exactly like the Princess she was.

Christian appeared behind his fiancé and shook my hand. I was honestly surprised that Rose's friends were being this pleasant to me, but I suppose they were just trying to be civil.

Once Rose and Vasilisa had finished hugging and rapidly talking, the Princess turned and gently pulled me into a hug, to say I was surprised would be an understatement, but I gently put an arm around her before I hesitated for too long. "Thank you for coming, Dimitri." She said kindly as she pulled away.

"Thank you for inviting me Vasilisa, it was very kind of you. And congratulations to you both." I said to her and Christian.

"Please, for the last time, call me Lissa." She said with a roll of her eyes.

At this moment Adrian called over a waiter and handed everyone a drink.

Tasha joined us then and I saw Roza's face darken ever so slightly. She greeted her Nephew and his new fiancée excitedly, and I took the chance to study Rose's features once more.

I knew without a doubt that she was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on when I had first met her, and really she was only a girl back then. But now she really was a woman, and she was simply breathtaking.

I thought I was doing what was best for her all those years ago when I told her I didn't love her; I thought I was doing the right thing. But looking at her now, I knew without a doubt that I was wrong.

The last few years had taken its toll on her. Despite the makeup she wore, she couldn't completely hide the bags under her eyes, and her cheekbones and collarbones were more defined now.

She caught me studying her and her eyes narrowed accusingly before she brought the rim of her champagne flute to her lips and downing the whole glass in two mouthfuls before putting the empty glass on a passing waiter's tray and picking up a full one. She saw me following her movements and smirked. This woman would be the death of me.

The group soon dispersed as the newly engaged couple went to mingle and Tasha dragged me over to the buffet table.

What felt like hours passed before I saw Roza through the crowd again.

She had clearly had more than an ideal intake of champagne as she was talking animatedly to Castile and Ivashkov, she was actually holding herself up against Eddie's arm as she stumbled on her feet.

I tried tearing my eyes away from her but simply couldn't do it. I watched as she straightened herself up and excused herself from her friends before walking through the crowd and leaving the ballroom to what I would assume were the bathrooms.

I couldn't help but notice the heads turn and the eyes linger on her as she walked through the room and wanted to rip every single one of the men's heads off.

I warred with myself for all of 60 seconds before I decided I couldn't stop myself anymore, I followed her.

She was just turning the corner at the same time I was and ended I ended up walking right into her.

If I wasn't fully convinced that she wasn't drunk before then I was certain now. "Hey!" She yelled as she stumbled back into the wall to our right.

I caught her from calling and slamming herself into the wall just in time as I gripped her by her upper arms.

She looked up at me through her eyelashes and I heard the sharp intake of breath. "Dimitri..." She mumbled.

"Are you alright?" I asked carefully.

Looking down at her and standing this close made my heart rate speed up on its own accord.

My hands tingled where my skin met hers and I noticed goose bumps rise on her arms and wondered if she could feel the same thing.

"Yes, you just made me jump, that's all." She said as I saw her eyes scan my face and wondered what she was looking to find.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" She asked almost breathlessly.

"Like what?" I asked. My voice came out hoarser than I intended it to.

"Like you're looking at me right now. I've seen that look on your face all night." Had she been watching me all night as well? She must have been more discrete than I was being.

"It's because you... you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

Well done, Dimitri. I knew I must have gone too far, her walls will be straight back up.

At least, that's what I thought was going to happen.

Instead her lips parted ever so slightly in surprise and the spark that had faded from her eyes twinkled ever so slightly.

And suddenly there were no words, it was just me and her and the rest of the world again. Her eyes scanned my face once more before lingering on my lips and flicking up to my eyes again.

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth the way she does when she's deep in thought. I followed the movement and I was completely transfixed, I may as well have been lost to the world.

I remembered the way it felt to have her lips against mine and suddenly I couldn't think of anything else but that.

My hand lifted to a lock of her hair on its own accord and I twisted it between my fingers before brushing it behind her ear. Her eyes flickered shut for a moment before looking up at me once more.

She stood up straighter so our faces were barely inches apart. All I would have to do was just lower my face the smallest amount and our lips would be together and everything in the world would be good again.

At least, everything in the world would be good _for me_ again. I knew she didn't want this, what the fuck was I doing?

Hadn't I ruined her enough? She didn't need this from me. I promised I wouldn't do anything to make this situation worse for her, and I wasn't about to start now.

It took all my strength to pull myself away from her; I took a few steps back so I was against the other wall.

She looked up at me again in shock. "I'm sorry. I can't. I promised I wouldn't do anything to make this difficult for you, and look what I'm doing." I took a deep breath, having no idea what I was saying until the words were out of my mouth. "I am so sorry, for everything, Roza. If I had any idea... I never would have... I wish there was something I could do or say to make this better."

Her eyes were shining with unshed tears and I hated myself for being the cause of that. I swallowed past the lump in my throat.

Rose had always questioned my Guardian mask, and had always expressed her jealously of my ability to hide my emotions within the blink of an eye. But it was clear to see that she had mastered that ability of the past four years. As one second she looked like she wanted to cry and the next she was stood up straight with no trace of any emotion on her face.

"Forget about it." She said as she smoothed her palms over her dress and walked past me and back into the ballroom without looking back.

 **There we have Chapter 9! Thank you so much for all of your support, I finally reached 100 reviews and I'm over the moon! I kind of got mixed signals about last chapter when Rose and Dimitri talked it out, a few of you said I got the characterisation spot on and a few others said that I got it all wrong so I really had no idea if it was okay or not. I understand that a lot of you probably hate me because Dimitri did give it a go with Tasha, but it's not entirely out of character for him because he had tried a relationship with her before he even met Rose and during Frostbite! But I really hope that this chapter cleared it all up a bit. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you think and thank you so much for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

The following week passed by in a blur. Dimitri and I only spoke when it was absolutely necessary, and the awkward tension between us had returned in full force since Lissa and Christian's party.

The week was actually quite boring until Thursday rolled around, and I was urgently called to Queen Tatiana's meeting room.

"Hathaway!" Hans called through the open doorway of his office as Dimitri and I walked past in Guardian Headquarters.

I stopped and entered his office where he was sitting behind his desk with a stack of papers in front of him.

"I was just about to come and find you, I've just had a call from one of the Queen's personal guardians, and you've been summoned to her meeting room immediately." He glanced at Belikov who was standing just behind me. "He specified you must go alone."

"Alright, I'll go now." I said a little uneasily.

"Thanks, I'd hurry if I were you; I doubt she likes to be kept waiting." He said with a reassuring smile.

Dimitri walked by my side until we were out of the building where I turned to him. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" I said as a way of awkwardly saying goodbye.

"Do you know what she might want? She's been summoning you a lot recently hasn't she?" He asked. I'm sure he didn't mean to be nosy, just curious.

"No idea, see ya." I said before turning and walking in the direction of the Queens palace.

I smoothed the palms of my hands down against my trousers as I reached the Queens building. One of the Guardians posted outside the main doors nodded at me and escorted me inside through hallway after hallway.

I thanked him as he knocked on the door to the meeting room and stationed himself against the wall opposite the door.

"Come in." I heard Tatiana called from inside.

I had no idea what this meeting was in relation to, so I figured I'd be best to stay in her good books as I faced her and bowed low. She was wearing a formal golden dress and seated in one of the fancy chairs within the room. I bet one of those chairs cost as much as my whole pay check for a month.

"Don't bother with all that, come and sit down Guardian Hathaway." She said as I stood there awkwardly bowing for a moment.

I sat on the plush chair opposite Her Majesty and waited for her talk; instead she simply sat and watched my every move, as if she was studying me intently.

"I expect you may be wondering why I called you here today." She started.

I simply nodded politely, not knowing exactly what to say.

"I'm sure you remember I told you before that there may be something you could do to help Princess Vasilisa become the next Queen?" She asked.

How could I ever forget, I had pretty much been going over her words in my head every day since.

"Yes, I remember, Your Majesty." I said with my hands clasped awkwardly in my lap.

"Well, there is something I need you to do for me, and for Vasilisa and our society as a whole." Her voice was confident and strong.

"As I said, I will do anything if it means helping."

"Perfect. I need you to go to St Vladimir's Academy and collect something for me, and bring it back to Court."

Why on earth would she need _me_ of all people to go to the Academy and get something for her?

As if reading my mind, she continued. "I know you may be wondering why I am asking this of you in particular. I have been watching your progress very closely over the past few years, and I know you are more than capable of completing the task. You also know the area like the back of your hand; you lived there for the majority of your life. Your age and the fact that you were a student there not too long ago also means that you are incredibly inconspicuous. You will blend in well and your presence will not draw too much attention. " She paused for breath before continuing.

"This mission also links directly to the success of Vasilisa, so I would like to think you will complete it to the best of your ability if for that reason only."

"I promise you I will not let you down." I said confidently.

"I have organised for Guardian Belikov to with you."

Wait _what?_ Why the hell did Dimitri have to come? I actually thought I could have used this opportunity to get away from him for a while.

"He also knows the area incredibly well and is also inconspicuous. And it has not escaped my attention that he may very well know the activity of the Strigoi in the surrounding area, not that you should need to know that information if all goes to plan."

I was about to speak but she held up her hand to silence me before I even opened my mouth.

"I have also heard a lot of things about when the two of you fight together. I need to know that I have some of my best Guardians on this mission, and quite honestly I think you two are the best for the job. The safety of what I require is of utmost importance. I expect you to do everything in your power to ensure it gets here safely."

"I understand. When will we find out what it is that we are looking for?" I asked as evenly as possible. I was focussing entirely on storing the information in her words for whenever I might need it.

"Due to the importance of the fact that this mission must remain entirely unknown to the public at this moment in time, you will not be finding out what it is that I require until you arrive at the Academy, where the head Guardian will tell you."

I nodded and she continued. "You must know that as it stands you, me and the Head Guardian of the Academy are the only ones that know about this mission. Guardian Croft knows I am sending you and Guardian Belikov to the Academy for an important mission, but he does not know why."

The importance of this mission was truly beginning to dawn on me. I knew how to keep a secret but this was serious.

"I know you will have to tell Guardian about the mission, and I suggest you do so soon, but I would also advise you to keep the information to a minimum. Not because I do not trust him or you, simply because the less people know, the better."

"Of course, I understand." I said, not breaking eye contact with the Queen.

She smiled ever so slightly. "I know I am asking a lot of you, but I truly do believe you are the best Guardian for the job. A private jet will be leaving at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning. I suggest you find Belikov immediately so he can begin making arrangements."

"I will." I replied.

"There is no exact time frame for you to return by; however it will be in your best interest to return as soon as you can, if only for the safety of the object in question. And although there is no direct threat to the Academy at the moment, you must know that there is varying Strigoi movements around the area, and so you must be on your guard. And I am sure I do not have to remind you that the safety of what I require is your main concern." She said with a slight edge to her voice, she almost sounded like she didn't like what she was saying.

I knew she was suggesting that if it came to it, I would have to risk my life to protect whatever the hell it is she needs me to get. And honestly, I was not at all surprised. I have been ready to risk my life for the needs of the Moroi since I could walk.

"I promise you I won't forget the importance of this. They come first." I said the last three words in more of a hesitant whisper. I wasn't sure I had ever spoken those words in front of a Moroi before, but she needed to know that I would not let her down.

She stood up then and walked towards me; I mirrored her movements and stood up as well.

She extended her hand towards me which I took into my own after hesitating for only a second. Her hand was thin and cold.

"I really do appreciate your service, Rosemarie. I will not forget what you are doing for me." She said kindly as she shook my hand. Despite her frail hand, her grip was surprisingly strong.

I knew if only by her calling me by my first name that she truly _did_ appreciate my service.

"You're welcome. I'm glad I can help, I promise I will do everything in my power to make sure whatever it is gets to you safely and unharmed." I said as confidently as I could.

"Thank you. Now go and make your preparations and tell Belikov what you have to." She said with a solemn smile on her face.

"Of course. Thank you for trusting me with this, Your Majesty. I won't let you down." I was honestly surprised by the amount of pride that was swelling in my chest in that moment.

I had always known I would be good at protecting Lissa, but I kind of thought that was as far as my career would go. I had never imagined I would be sent on a top secret mission that affects the outcome of our society as a whole.

"You may as well call me Tatiana, Rose. I am asking an awful lot of you and I want you to know I am choosing you for the right reasons." No way did she just ask me to call her by her first name?! I had only ever heard Adrian call her Tatiana and he's her nephew!

The fact that she was being so kind to me did set off alarm bells though; it's almost as if she knows this mission will be more dangerous for me than she's letting on. Whatever it is, I promised her I wouldn't let her down.

"Thank you, Tatiana. I will hopefully see you soon." I said as I headed towards the door.

"You too. Look after yourself." She said kindly before I shut the door gently behind me.

I let out a breath I didn't realise I had been holding once I was outside the door. The Guardians posted outside the door jokingly smirked at me, to which I replied with an eye roll as one of them escorted me out of the building.

As soon as I was out of the building I pulled out my cell phone from the pocket of my jacket. I sent a text to Lissa asking if she or Christian had Dimitri's phone number as I had to talk to him about our upcoming shifts. She replied right back with his number.

I typed in his number and took a deep breath before ringing.

He picked up on the second ring.

"Belikov." He greeted. He sounded out of breath. Probably frolicking with Tasha knowing him.

"Dimitri, It's Rose." I said, not knowing entirely what to say.

I heard an intake of breath through the phone before his accented voice reached my ear. "Rose, is everything okay?" He asked sounding truly concerned.

"Yeah, I just need to talk to you; can you meet me at my house?" I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Of course, I'm just out for a run; I'm close by to your place actually. I'll be there soon." Alright so he wasn't messing about with Tasha, which was a comforting thought.

"Okay, see you in a bit." I said before hanging up the phone.

When I got to my house Dimitri was leaning up against the wall of the porch with his shoulders crossed casually over his chest. He was wearing a tight fitted black top and sweat pants. I'm pretty sure my mouth started watering.

I walked straight past him and unlocked the front door, leaving it open for him to follow me.

His eyes scanned the interior as he walked in and shut the door behind him; it was almost as if he was studying every aspect of the house. I wondered what he was hoping to find.

I walked into the kitchen and heard him following me through. I got a glass from one of the cupboards and poured a glass of water before placing it on the counter of the breakfast bar and gesturing for him to sit down. "Thank you." He said.

"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting your house to be so clean, spotless even." He said while glancing around once more.

"Yeah well, I haven't really spent a lot of time here to be honest. I like to keep busy."

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" He asked.

And so I explained. I told him everything I could about what the Queen said to me, I also told him about our previous meetings.

"Wow. It is a huge honour for Her Majesty to ask for us directly, you know that right?" He asked almost a little astonished.

"Of course I know. But I'll understand if you don't want to come, Dimitri. I know it won't be easy for you to go back there, and by the sounds of it, it might be dangerous. And I know you have other commitments... with Tasha." A frown graced his features as I finished the sentence.

"I have no commitments to her, and this is work. That comes first." He said without breaking eye contact. "So, when do we leave?" He asked.

"Tomorrow morning at 6 o'clock. A private jet will be flying us over there."

"I suppose I should go then and let you get on with your packing." He said as he stood up and headed over to the door.

"I'll have to go and explain to Lissa that I'll be going away. Of course I won't be able to tell her why we're going. Make sure you don't say anything about why we're going back to anyone either, okay?" I asked.

"I won't say a word. See you tomorrow on the run way." He said with a heartbreaking smile as he made his way down the porch.

I waited until he was out of sight and then I crossed my front lawn to get to Lissa and Christian's house. I knew it wasn't going to be easy leaving her again, but hopefully it wouldn't be for long.

As expected, Lissa was absolutely distraught at the thought of my leaving her for an unknown amount of time after she'd just got engaged. But I told her that she hadn't even set a date for the wedding yet and I would be back in plenty of time to organise her big day.

I also didn't express my worries about the mission to Lissa and Christian, nor did I mention the fact that the Queens friendliness to me had me worried about the outcome.

I left their house with a smile on my face and a tightness in my chest and went home to pack without knowing how long I was leaving for.

 **There we have Chapter 10! Sorry if there was a bit too much dialogue between Rose and The Queen, I really just felt like I had to get the information about the mission into the chapter. Thank you so much for all the support, reviews, follows and favourites for the last chapter, I really appreciate it! Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you like this chapter, and please tell me what you think!**


	11. Chapter 11

I spent the rest of that evening round Lissa and Christian's house. I called Eddie and Adrian over to tell them all the news, that I'd be going on a mission to St Vlads, and with Dimitri of all people.

"Ooh, alone time with the cradle robber, that _will_ be tough for you!" Adrian joked as he placed a reassuring hand on my arm.

"Cut it out. You know it's not like that, it'll be awful." I said while glancing around at my friends.

"It'll be nice to go back to The Academy though Rose. Alberta will be pleased to see you and you can piss Stan off just like old times." Eddie said encouragingly. I loved that he always found something positive in a shitty situation; he always managed to lift the mood in a room.

I excused myself from their company soon after we had eaten dinner, saying that I needed to pack, which wouldn't be easy considering I had no idea how long I'd be there for. Surely it couldn't be more than a month?

Lissa had offered to come to my house and help me back but I politely declined her offer. Don't get me wrong, I would miss her like crazy, but I couldn't deal with her optimism in that moment, I just wanted to be alone with my many swirling thoughts.

After a tear-filled goodbye by my friends, I packed my bags and soon fell asleep.

Before I knew it my alarm was blaring violently in my face and it was 5AM.

I hauled myself out of bed, which took more effort than I'd like to admit, and zombie-walked into the shower, stripping off my pyjamas as I went.

The shower woke me up a bit and I felt refreshed when I stepped out and dried myself off. I dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and a burgundy top. I figured I didn't have to dress in my Guardian uniform as I'd surely be travelling for most of the day. I grabbed an apple on my way out of the house and locked the door as I went.

I tugged my suitcase across the Court grounds until the airstrip was finally in sight.

Hans and Dimitri were waiting by a very fancy looking private jet when I finally reached the airstrip.

"Morning Rose." Hans greeted me. I had to admit I was pretty pleased with the fact that we were on first name terms now.

"Morning." I replied while completely blanking the Russian standing to my right.

"Keep me updated on your progress and I can relay any information onto Her Majesty. If you need anything, I'll help you sort it. But other than that, be safe and don't rip each other's heads off." He said with a humorous smile.

"I'll keep you updated on what's going on, but I can't make any promises about the head ripping off thing." I said with a smirk of my own before shaking his hand and walking up the steps to the jet and lugging my suitcase up behind me.

Dimitri and Hans exchanged a few words which I couldn't hear before the Russian followed me onto the sleek-looking jet.

I shoved my suitcase into one of the overhead lockers and looked around at my surroundings. There were soft, plush carpets under my Converse, the seats were very comfy looking and leather, there was what looked like a bar at the other end of the jet, and a door which must lead to the cockpit where the pilot was currently preparing to takeoff. There were 8 seats in total, 4 on each side of the aisle; they were in pairs facing each other.

I sat down on the seat closest to me and put my feet up on the little table in front of it, I suppose I may as well get comfy, I'd be in here for a while.

Myself, Dimitri and the two pilots were the only people on the jet.

I avoided looking at Dimitri as he shuffled around the plane, until I couldn't avoid looking at him any longer when he sat down in the seat opposite me. I rolled my eyes; of course he'd sit right in my line of sight.

He was wearing his traditional duster and had a western novel in his hand. He glanced at me once before opening the book and settling down to read it.

This was clearly going to be a boring journey.

One of the pilots spoke on the overhead speaker and told us we'd be taking off soon.

Once we were up in the air and the seatbelt sign was off I got up from my seat and went to the bar in search of a drink. I pulled out a bottle of water from the mini fridge and sat back in my seat.

We sat in somewhat uncomfortable silence for some time until Dimitri's smooth voice broke the silence. "Where did you get all those Molnija marks from?" He asked hesitantly. I glanced up and saw him gazing carefully at me. How had he seen them?

"I saw them at the party the other day." He said as if reading my mind.

I cleared my throat before speaking, not really knowing how to explain. "Um, soon after you... left, I didn't really know what to do with myself in my free time, and so on my days work off I used to go outside of the wards and hunt. I went out a lot at Lehigh too, there's always Strigoi hanging around Universities."

"Wow. How did you track all your kills?" He asked out of pure curiosity.

"An Alchemist friend of mine would go and clear up and officially count them." Sydney and I had become a lot closer over the years after I first met her in Russia.

He simply nodded and went back to reading his book, clearly the conversation was over.

I leant my head back against the seat and tried to relax; the dull throbbing in my head was becoming more and more persistent as time went on.

I pulled out the packet of pain killers from my pocket and popped two in my mouth before taking a swig of the water.

I sat back in my seat and rubbed at my temples. "Do you still get the headaches when you fly?" Dimitri asked, curiosity clearly getting the better of him. I glanced up and saw him looking up at me again; I tried to ignore the swirl of emotion that twisted in my gut whenever our eyes met.

I twisted the ring on my finger a few times as I explained. "It still hurts, but not as bad as before. I took two painkillers before I left this morning and just taken a few more. I also got this ring from Oksana, she charmed it for me and Lissa topped it up with Spirit a few days ago for me." Dimitri sat up straighter and put his book down as he glanced at my hand.

He hesitantly stood up and sat on the seat to my left, so he was right beside me. His scent washed over me and I felt my insides turn to goo.

I saw him hesitate for a long time before he took my hand into his and lifted it so he could study the ring. I felt the calluses of his hand rub against my own and I felt the typical little shocks run all the way up my arm and into the pit of my stomach.

"What are you doing?" I asked incredulously. Every single one of my instincts was telling me to yank my hand away from him, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

"I'm sorry." He muttered under his breath as he studied the ring carefully, although he didn't sound sorry at all. "I thought I recognised it, Mama and Babushka have similar ones, it's a Russian design." He explained. "You say Oksana gave you this?" He asked as he finally looked up at me.

"Yes. While I was in Russia. She charmed it for me to help with the darkness. She and Mark helped me a lot, actually." I explained softly.

"That was very nice of her." He said simply.

He finally let go of my hand and we sat in silence for a moment longer before he spoke again. "You haven't asked me if I've spoken to my family, I thought you'd be curious to know."

"I would be curious, but I already know. I talk to Olena and Vika a lot; we have a phone call almost every week." I said while inspecting my fingernails, as if the conversation we were having was no big deal.

He sat up straight and looked directly at me. "What? You talk to them? How did I not know that?" I couldn't tell if he was angry or just simply shocked. If he wasn't angry then, he probably would be now.

"I asked them not to tell you."I stated simply while glancing at his eyes again.

"Why would you do that?" He asked carefully.

"Does it matter?" I knew if I told him it would just cause an argument.

"Yes it matters!" He growled. My God that voice, that masculine growl.

"I asked them not to tell you because at the time I didn't like to think about you at all, it just hurt too much, okay? And I knew you wanted nothing to do with me either, so I figured it would be easier for you if you didn't know." I said quietly, looking anywhere but at him.

"Rose." He said, his voice was low. I didn't look at him.

"Roza." He pleaded.

I took a deep breath and turned to look at him. The emotion I saw churning around in his eyes almost made me gasp. There was so much going on in those deep, bottomless eyes. He looked desperate.

"Rose, it's not that I didn't want anything to do with you, I just couldn't do it to you." He stated.

"Stop it. Stop talking. We're not talking about this now." I said sharply.

"Why, because you know you can't walk away from me when we're forty thousand feet in the air?" He asked.

"Yes, that's exactly why." I stated simply while settling into my seat and turning away from him.

I heard him move slightly in his seat as he looked out of the window and sunk deeper into the leather. I rolled my eyes and suppressed a sigh as I realised he wasn't going back to his seat any time soon and I had to sit next to him for the duration of the journey.

I stared into space for some time until I felt my eyes become heavy with sleep. I rested the fist of my hand against my head as I closed my eyes and drifted off.

I awoke what felt like minutes later but was probably more like hours.

I was warm, too warm. And a prominent masculine scent was wrapped around me as well as a heavy, leather clad arm.

I opened my eyes and shifted my head slowly so I could glance at Dimitri's face.

As I suspected, he was fast asleep. We must have moved closer together during our sleep as I was not almost fully sitting in his lap and his arm was wrapped protectively around me.

A few of his silky strands of hair were framing his face and his breathing was deep and even.

I could not tear my eyes away.

It had been so long, I wasn't sure I could recall a time where I had seen him look so very peaceful.

I felt his arm tighten around me ever so slightly and had no idea what to do with myself.

My body was like a live wire. I felt electrified. Every nerve ending in my body was on high alert.

"It's rude to stare, Roza." His lips turned up into a grin.

Suddenly the realisation of the situation dawned on me and I had no idea why the fuck I was letting this happen.

Before I could think too much about it I shot up and out of my seat. I stood in the aisle for a moment as I tried to calm my erratic breathing.

"Asshole. Absolute asshole." I growled as I sat in a seat on the other side of the aisle without looking at him.

The pilot's grainy voice spoke through the overhead speaker alerting us to the fact that the seatbelt sign had been turned back on and we would be descending soon to St Vlad's private airstrip.

I watched out the window as my old home came into sight, I could recognise it from up here.

So much had happened at The Academy, so much I was willing to forget.

I had no idea how I was supposed to make it through this mission with Dimitri by my side.

I would go in, get whatever it is that The Queen wanted and then go back to Court. It would be easy, I was sure.

It's a shame really; that nothing is ever as easy as I think it's going to be.

 **There we have Chapter 11! Thank you so much for all of your support, I appreciate every single one of you who have read, followed, favourited and reviewed this story. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you thought, thank you so much for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

_**I read a quote the other day which reminded me of Rose and Dimitri's story and their relationship, especially in this specific story, and I thought I would share it with you all. Unfortunately I don't know who wrote it!**_

' _ **When you plunged the knife into me  
you also began bleeding  
my wound became your wound  
didn't you know  
love is a double-edged knife  
you will suffer the way you make me suffer'**_

I let out a deep breath when the jet finally touched down on the airstrip at Saint Vladimir's. I lunged up from my seat as soon as the seatbelt signs were off and yanked my suitcase down from the overhead locker. I didn't wait around to see if Dimitri had followed me.

The sun had just set and the moon was starting to rise as I stepped out of the door and onto the steps that would lead me down to the ground.

It was then that I looked up and saw Alberta Petrov waiting for me at the bottom of the steps. The smile that made its way onto my face almost hurt it was so big. I dropped my bags where I was standing and raced down the steps.

She opened her arms as I took the last step and I pretty much crashed into her awaiting embrace.

"Hi Rose." She laughed as she hugged me tightly. She released me from her arms and held me at arm's length as she studied me closely. "Look at you! You look great, you cut your hair!" She exclaimed as she brushed the short strands that were hanging just above my shoulders. "Don't they have donuts at Court Rose? You're just skin and bones now." She said while her eyes glanced over my form once more with a small frown on her face.

"They don't taste nearly as good as the ones here." I brushed off her comment. "I've missed you." I told her truthfully.

"I've missed you too; this place hasn't been nearly as interesting without you." She replied.

Alberta had been like a mother to me ever since my a _ctual_ mum left me here at The Academy, and passed over any parental rights to them.

Alberta finally dropped her arms from around me when Dimitri made his way down the steps with his bags as well as my own. I saw his eyes flicker over me and I saw he also had a frown on his face, although he soon recovered when he saw me looking.

"Thanks." I muttered quietly as he carefully placed my bag by my feet.

He extended his hand to Alberta and she politely shook it. "Dimitri, it's good to see you again." She said somewhat professionally.

"You too, Guardian Petrov. It's... good... to be back." He said while glancing around almost nervously. I knew this place would set him on edge but I didn't realise quite how much.

"Come on, Dimitri. How many times have I told you? Call me Alberta." She said with a small smile while glancing at me. What did she know?

"Alright you two, we can stop by the Guardians lounge on our way to your rooms in guest housing so you can say hello to everyone, then I expect you're ready for a good night's sleep." She said as she picked up my bag and began walking in the direction of Guardians HQ.

"Alberta, wait. I have to know, what is it we have come here to collect? Should we not just get that as soon as we can and go?" I asked quietly as I stopped her by gently pulling on her arm.

I saw her eyes glance around before they landed on my face once more. "I can't tell you just yet, I'll explain everything once we're inside." She said before shrugging off my hand and continuing walking at a brisk pace once more.

I took in every little detail about the Academy as we walked through the grounds. Something felt off, I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was though. It was almost as if there was a tense air to my surroundings. I glanced at Dimitri and saw that he was also looking around carefully and decided I had to ask.

"Alberta, something seems off here, is everything okay?" I asked hesitantly.

I saw a look of sorrow and shame cross her hard features as she glanced at me. "Not quite, I'll explain everything when we get to my office." She said as she kept on walking. I glanced at Dimitri once more and he gave me a look that told me he was exactly as worried as I was.

We made it to the Guardians lounge and I looked around at the familiar and unfamiliar faces that glanced our way. I recognised many of them from when I was a student; it was a comforting thought to know that they were all still here.

Many of the Guardians stood up to greet us as we walked in. It felt odd to be treated as equals to them even after I'd been a fully qualified Guardian for over four years.

I had only been in the Guardians lounge at the Academy a handful of times; I hadn't spent much time here after I'd finally graduated and so it felt odd to be walking around quite so freely.

We were just about to go into Alberta's office when my name was called from somewhere in the room.

"Hathaway." I turned and saw Stan Alto walking towards me. I couldn't read the expression in his face.

"Alto. I've only just arrived; surely I can't be in trouble already?" I said with a mischievous grin.

Instead of reprimanding me for some unknown reason, instead he extended his hand to me. "It's good to see you again." He replied with a look in his eyes, was that pride?

I took his hand and shook it; I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from commenting on the clamminess of his hand.

"You too." I said as I dropped his hand as soon as politely possible. Stan then shook Dimitri's hand and went on his way. What an odd man.

Dimitri and I then followed Alberta into her office and sat down in the simple leather chairs opposite her own.

"You were both right in thinking that something was off around here." She said as she took a seat in her chair behind her desk. Dimitri and I instinctively tensed and I saw a knowing smile grace Alberta's features before she continued her explanation.

"There is no imminent danger so you can both relax for the time being." She said as I sat back into the chair a little deeper. "There has been an attack on the Academy, only two days ago. It wasn't a large attack but it was very carefully planned. The Strigoi knew where they were going and they knew exactly how to get there. One Moroi was taken hostage and one Guardian was killed in the process." I knew she didn't mean to sound so emotionless as she explained the situation, she was simply getting straight to the point. She had been doing this job for years after all, it must become tedious listing death after death to people.

"Now listen, The Queen didn't send you here to collect an object or an item. She sent you here to collect a person, a Moroi to be particular." She explained while looking carefully at me.

"Who is it?" I asked hesitantly, I almost didn't want to know. Whoever this was would change the whole future of our society and my best friend's life in particular. I can't believe I was doing this and Lissa didn't even know.

"It's Jillian Mastrano." Alberta said.

What? _Jill?_ That innocent young girl I had met all those years ago? She was in awe of Dimitri and me; I had even met her mother. How could it be that she could be the one to change everything?

"Are you sure?" I asked.

Alberta's eyes thinned slightly. "Yes, I'm sure. I spoke to Her Majesty personally." She explained.

"I'm sorry, but how is that possible? And what does this have to do with Lissa?" I asked, hating that she wouldn't just tell me outright.

"Jillian is Vasilisa's half sister."

 _Half sister?!_ I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped.

"No way. There's got to be some mistake." I said while jumping up from my seat. I saw Dimitri tense beside me at the sudden movement.

"Rose, sit down so I can explain." She said while not taking her eyes off me.

I cleared my throat before sitting down once more.

"Miss Mastrano is Eric Dragomir's illegitimate child. He had an affair with Emily Mastrano. He was secretly sending them money over the years to help support them. Very few people knew."

"I'm sorry; it's just a lot to take in. I can't believe Eric would do something like that." I whispered. I had known Eric Dragomir for the first half of my life; he was like an adoptive father to me.

There was no way Lissa was going to take this information well.

"It is a very long story, one that I am not about to go into, now is not the time nor the place. All you need to know is that it is true." She said looking tired.

Dimitri had been surprisingly quiet during this meeting; I glanced at him only to see him studying me intently. He looked away when he caught my eye.

"What is Jill even doing here? Didn't she graduate already?" I asked. Judging by my calculations Jill should have graduated last year at least.

"After graduating, she became a teacher in the water element. She has absolutely no idea about her heritage, and so I am sure it will be just as big of a shock to her as it will be to everybody else." She said giving me a pointed look.

"Okay, so we grab Jill and go back to Court?" I asked, becoming impatient. My knee began bouncing up and down as a feeling of unease settled in the pit of my stomach.

"I wish it was that easy, Rose, I really do." Alberta said solemnly.

Oh no, this couldn't be true. Surely life wouldn't be that much of a pain in the ass for me?

"Jillian was the Moroi who was taken by Strigoi." She stated.

I clenched my fists and bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from swearing out loud.

Dimitri spoke for the first time then, clearly understanding that I wasn't prepared to speak just yet. "You believe Jillian is alive?" He asked carefully.

"Yes, as far as we are aware. Our surveillance footage shows her being taken alive, although she looked to be very weak." She explained.

I unclenched my fists and felt something damp in the palm of my hand. I glanced down and saw that my fingernails had pierced the skin of my palms. I quickly put my hands together and placed them in my lap.

"Do you have any idea where they could have taken her?" I asked tensely.

"There is a small town on the outskirts of Bozeman called Southlake. Very small population, there's a rundown old manor house there which we believe to be a Strigoi hideout, we've never actually seen a Strigoi enter or leave, but there have been various sightings in the town and that's the most realistic explanation." She explained while glancing warily at me.

I scooted forward to the edge of my seat, getting ready to stand once more. "Seriously, that's all you've got? What the hell have you guys been doing?! I'll go and get her right now." I went to stand up but Alberta simply lifted her hand and I sunk back into my seat.

"You will do no such thing. I thought perhaps your recklessness would have faded over the years, clearly not." I heard Dimitri cover up a chuckle at my side and had to resist the urge to snap at him.

"It is pitch black outside, Rose. The Strigoi will hear you coming before you even have the manor in sight. I suggest you stay put for tonight, do whatever you want here. But wait until the sun comes up until you scout out the area." I could tell she did genuinely feel for me, she knew I hated to sit around doing nothing, and what she said _did_ make sense.

"Fine, but I'm not sitting around doing nothing. I'll walk the wards or something until the sun comes up." I said as I stood up from my seat and took the handle of my suitcase.

"Good idea, I'll show you both to your rooms and then you can do whatever you wish." She said as she and Dimitri both stood and we followed her out of the building.

Mine and Dimitri's rooms were right opposite each other, I suppose I should be grateful we weren't sharing.

Alberta handed us both our keys, I thanked her and walked straight into my room without glancing back at Dimitri.

The room was basic and efficient, everything a Guardians room should be. The walls and carpet were a dull colour; there was a wooden wardrobe in the corner of the room and a double bed against the far wall. Through a door was a bathroom, and against the far side of the main room was a small kitchenette-type area, a few counter tops with a microwave, a sink and a kettle. I threw my suitcase onto the bed and left the room.

As soon as I closed my door behind me, Dimitri's was yanked open from the other side. The tall Russian emerged from his room, looking much the same as he had only a moment ago. A glance over his shoulder showed me that his room was just as basic as mine was. Although his suitcase was open and there were neat stacks of clothes placed on his bed.

"Are we walking the wards then?" He asked.

"I am. I don't know what you're doing though." I said as I started walking down the hallway. I should have known he'd follow me as I saw him match his pace beside mine.

We greeted the Guardians we passed politely as we headed out to the main gate. We walked in incredibly uncomfortable silence to the gate and greeted the Guardians at the gate. "Hey guys, we're just going to do a couple of laps of the wards to kill some time." I told them.

"No worries, we'll be here. It's good to see you guys again." Guardian Greene said kindly as he shook each of our hands.

We walked for about five minutes before Dimitri broke the silence. "So, how does it feel to be back?" He asked.

I thought about the question for a moment before answering. "Its okay, its weird being here without Lissa and everyone though. But it's great to see Alberta again. I'm sure it would be weirder without you here though." I finished quietly.

"Why do you say that?" He asked while glancing at me.

"Because I pretty much spent every muscle killing moment with you here." I replied with a forced laugh.

"That's true, but I'm sure you'd thank me for making you run all those laps now." He said with a breathtaking smile on his face.

"Hmm, I suppose it did come in handy." I replied reluctantly.

We continued walking for some time, and that's when I saw it.

I noticed it before Dimitri did, and I stopped walking instantly, so shocked that my feet stopped on their own accord.

How could I forget? How stupid could I have been to let him come with me?

My mouth went dry and I felt like there was no air at all, even though I was outside in the middle of the night. My heartbeat sped up.

Dimitri stopped, noticing my shocked expression and followed my gaze to see what I was staring at. Then his facial expression mimicked mine.

The cabin.

 _The_ cabin.

The place Dimitri and I had finally given in to our need for each other and I had given him my virginity.

My gaze shifted to him and I saw him looking right back at me. His dark bottomless eyes may as well have been burning holes into my face his eyes were so heated.

"Roza..." He began. His voice was rough and hoarse and it caressed my skin like the touch of a feather.

The look in his eyes told me that he was thinking the exact same thing as I was. He was thinking of the night we spent in that cabin. The way our skin had met as our bodies joined together.

The way he would chant my name like a prayer and I would moan his in a breathless gasp.

I blinked and suddenly he was right in front of me, so close that our chests were almost touching.

I tilted my head up to look at him properly and immediately wished I hadn't, his face was filled with so much lust and love he almost looked pained.

His hand slowly lifted and caressed my cheek; he looped a strand of hair around his finger.

I flinched as his skin made contact with mine which caused a frown to appear on his face. He dropped his hand but didn't step away.

"I am so sorry, Roza. You have no idea how much I wish I could take back the last four years." He whispered.

Alarm bells went off in my head and my whole body tensed up out of instinct. I shoved against his chest and started walking away.

I thought maybe he'd let me go. Of course I was wrong.

He grabbed the top of my arm quicker than I could take a breath and suddenly I was pressed up against a tree with his warm body mere inches from mine.

"Please don't walk away, don't shut me out. I can't stand it when you block me out, your silence is deafening." He pleaded with me; his voice was filled with desperation and pain.

"You brought this upon yourself, Dimitri. Did you expect me to just run into your arms as soon as you came back? _You_ left _me,_ not the other way around." I growled out between my teeth, I fidgeted slightly trying to get away once more, if anything it only brought us even closer together.

"I know, I was stupid, I regret that day more than anything. I knew I was stupid, but coming back here and seeing you, it just brought it all back." He admitted in defeat.

"But you told me you couldn't feel love anymore, and yet you tried a relationship with Tasha? What the fuck is that all about? You're not making any sense!" I almost yelled. Stay calm Rose, stay calm.

"I only tried something with her to make me forget about you, but it didn't work, I know it was the wrong thing to do but I was desperate. You were everywhere I looked; every time I blinked I saw your face. I saw that look in your face when you were desperate for the next bite from me, or the look of pure love you'd give me when I gave you another stolen item of jewellery. I couldn't have you around when I knew I'd ruined you." His eyes shone with unshed tears and I felt a lump form in my throat.

"I already told you I had forgiven you for all those things; in fact, there was never anything to forgive. I _know_ that wasn't you. But you went and fucked it all up in that God damn church!"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he spoke again; his voice was barely a whisper. "I thought I was doing the right thing for you, you were with Adrian, I thought if I left then you could get on with your life and I wouldn't ruin it anymore."

"Well that clearly didn't go the way you had planned it, did it? Because when you left it just fucked everything up even more, so good job." I said with a forced roll of my eyes.

"Roze, please..." He pleaded once more.

I clenched my fists and shoved them against his chest as hard as I could; he stumbled back a few steps and took the chance to put a bit more distance between us.

"Please what, Dimitri? What do you want from me?" I asked. "I'm tired of tiptoeing around the subject, what do you expect from me?"

He ran his hand through his hair, a clear sign he was getting frustrated.

"I want _you,_ Rose. It's always been you. I thought leaving would make you happy, but I can't do it anymore, I can't live without you."

And just like that everything changed. When I knew Dimitri was coming back, I assumed he would be happily in love with Tasha and I could just ignore him and get on with my life. But what happens now?

I had loved Dimitri more than anything in the world. And when he left I told myself he would never come back for me.

I realised I had been silent for some time now. "Please say something." He begged.

"You can't just waltz back into my life and assume everything will go back to normal. When you left I let myself believe you were never coming back, and now here you are, saying all this stuff, what am I meant to do with that?" I asked rhetorically.

"I don't know." He admitted.

"Yeah, me neither." I replied reluctantly. "I'll see you tomorrow." I said, before doing what seemed like the best option right now, I walked away. Leaving Dimitri and that cabin behind.

 **There we have Chapter 12! They finally talked it out! Well Dimitri did at least, Rose's outburst of emotion will come soon enough. I'm sorry it took so long to update, but you've got an extra long chapter to hopefully make up for it! Thank you so much for all of your ongoing support, I appreciate it more than you can know. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you thought!**


	13. Chapter 13

I did not sleep after I left Dimitri by the cabin; I instead walked the rest of the Academies grounds, my thoughts swirling restlessly around my mind. When I finally saw Dimitri walk past and enter the Guest housing building, I hid behind the nearest tree to avoid him.I didn't feel like being around him in that moment. I was still going over the words he had spoken previously that night. He told me he wanted me, that he had always wanted me. I had spent so long thinking he hated me. Thinking I had deserved to be hated for some unknown reason.

When I finally deemed it an acceptable time, I made my way to my own bedroom and changed my clothes. I had considered what would be the best clothing to wear on this 'mission', and the best option seemed to be to blend in. We were only scouting the place out today, afterall, we didn't even know if Jill was in there.

I wore faded blue jeans with a loose top tucked in to the high waist of the trousers, with a pair of converse. If I was seen lurking around a supposedly abandoned house in a quiet town, hopefully I would just be mistaken as a nosey teenager rather than a fully trained Guardian with an agenda. I left my cropped hair flowing past my chin so it brushed my shoulders.

I slipped my cell phone into the pocket of my jeans and discreetly hid my stake on the inside of my jeans. I locked my door on the way out and crossed the hall to knock on Dimitri's. I hadn't told him a specific time in which we would be leaving today, but if I knew him as well as I thought I did, I was sure he would be ready.

I was right.

He opened the door three seconds after I had finished knocking. It seems he had the same ideas as me in terms of his clothing. Rather than wearing his typical more formal attire, he had opted for a pair of jeans and a shirt beneath his usual duster. His hair was left out of a ponytail and I struggled to tear my eyes away from the soft strands.

I glanced into his eyes and had to remind myself that we were on a mission, even as his desperate and pleading face from last night showed itself from my memory.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

"Of course." He replied shortly. I stepped out of his way so that he could lock his door behind him.

I had been to see Alberta last night about our mode of transportation, and she had given me a set of car keys for one of the Academies many sleek black SUV's without a second thought. Said keys were currently safely stored in my pocket.

We made it to the garage and I saw Dimitri hesitate for a moment, probably wondering which car we would be taking and where we would find the keys, when I pulled out the key from my pocket and pressed the unlock button. There was a row of cars on the far side of the wall, and the lights flashed on the third one along as I pressed the button.

I didn't dare look at Dimitri as I brushed past him and hopped in the driver's side.

He had never let me drive before on any of the numerous times I would ask him when he was my Mentor, well now he didn't have a choice.

We had been driving for about half an hour when he finally broke the silence. "So, what's the plan?" He asked.

I hated to admit it, but I was pretty happy with the fact that _he_ was asking _me_ what we would be doing, he had always been my superior and a part of me had worried that he would struggle to work with me as his equal. I apparently had nothing to worry about.

"We don't know for sure that Jill is even at this house, but it's our best shot. So I say we look around the outside, look for any signs that there are _actually_ Strigoi inside, and do our best to find out if Jill is actually inside." I explained as I drove along, not caring for speed limits.

"Really?" He asked.

I frowned, not realising what it is that he didn't understand about what I said.

I cut him a glance. "What? Do you have a problem with that?" I asked, trying to forget the way his voice had sounded as he admitted to me last night how he truly felt about me.

 _I want you, Rose. It's always been you._

A part of me would always want Dimitri Belikov, but I wasn't ready to give in to that part just yet. He had ruined me, and I wouldn't let it happen again. Even if being in the same space as him did make it hard for me to breathe, and I was aware of every one of his movements as much as I was aware of my own.

"I don't have a problem, I'm just surprised. Jill could be dead for all we know, and you don't even want to go inside?" He asked curiously.

I laughed humourlessly, resisting my urge to snap at him for even asking. "Wow the tables really have turned; I used to be the one questioning your intentions when it came to missions." I had often blamed Dimitri for doing things the more difficult and official way, but I had my reasons. "Actually, I am convinced she is alive. It was a very well planned attack on the Academy; they came in for Jill and Jill only. I would say those Strigoi were working on behalf of someone else, someone who knows that Jill is related to Lissa and is the only thing standing in her way to the throne." I concluded.

Dimitri was silent for a moment as he thought my words through. "You're right, I didn't mean to make it sound like I was questioning your intentions, and it just seemed so unlike you. You used to run into situations without even thinking it through." He admitted.

"Don't sound so surprised, Comrade. Things have changed; I would have thought you'd have figured that out by now."

It wasn't until I had finished speaking that I realised my mistake. I had just called him Comrade. I hadn't called him that since before he left, since before he was turned even.

He must have noticed it at the same moment that I did, as his head snapped towards me and I felt him studying my very closely.

I gnawed on my bottom lip and tried to suppress the heat that was rising up my neck and into my cheeks.

The air in the car seemed to heat up, I felt the chord between us come alive and something deep in the pit of my stomach began to stir.

I pushed my foot on the gas pedal a little harder, the sooner we got there, the sooner I could get out of this car.

It took him another moment or two before he finally tore his eyes away from my face and they focussed back on our surroundings.

We drove the rest of the way in complete silence. I didn't so much as glance in his direction, although I was constantly aware of his every move, like there was a live-wire between us and it sparked every time he moved.

I parked the car on the side of the road on the outskirts of the town. The house was only a few minutes' walk from where I had parked; I didn't want to raise any suspicions by parking right outside the manor.

When the manor was finally in sight, I was glad to see that it was situated down a long, private driveway. At least we wouldn't draw any attention from people living in the area; however it would take us longer to get back to the car if we were faced with any trouble.

The long gravel driveway lead to the brick manor, it seemed to be crumbling around the edges, with weeds growing up between the stones under my feet, and plants climbing up the sides of the walls.

The windows were boarded up with wood, at least one indication that it would be possible for Strigoi to be staying here.

"You take the back, I'll take the front." I said to Dimitri as we made our way down the long driveway leading to the front of the house.

I placed my feet carefully on the patches of the path that would make the least noise; I stepped as lightly as I could.

Dimitri nodded instead of saying the words, which I was grateful for. Although we were some way away from the house, I didn't want to take any chances. Strigoi's heightened senses would no doubt allow them to hear us by now if we weren't careful. And although the Strigoi couldn't come out of the house (if they were indeed inside), but that didn't mean there was no threat at all, time and time again I had been shown that it was possible for Moroi _and_ humans to work for Strigoi, I wasn't going to take any chances.

I slowed my pace when we reached the front of the manor, and Dimitri kept going, carefully making his way round the back of the house. I caught his eye as he turned the corner, but I couldn't read his expression. I was grateful, at least, that he hadn't told me to be careful or some other condescending comment that would hint that he thought he was superior to me in any way.

I felt a sense of unease as Dimitri rounded the corner and I knew he wasn't in sight. It's not that I was worried about him necessarily; I knew he could look after himself better than anyone I knew, myself included. I just felt uneasy not having him in sight, which was odd seeing as he hadn't been here for the last four years of my life.

I blocked those thoughts from my mind as I focussed on the tracks in the gravel, there were no car tracks that I could see, but there were several places on the ground that indicated that someone had walked into the house through the crumbling front door.

I carefully made my way to the windows and looked for any gaps in the wood that I might be able to look through; there was absolutely nothing that I could see.

I clenched my fists and ground my teeth together, becoming frustrated.

I knew it was a long shot that we would find anything here, but a part of me had hoped that we would find something.

I must have been looking for at least 10 minutes; I had scanned the walls, the windows and the door to no avail.

I was about to go round the back to see if Dimitri had any more luck than me, when my foot hit the ground and the sound of something very light clicking together reached my ears, rather than the usual stones knocking together that I had come to expect.

It might have been nothing, but I had been trained to pick up on this kind of thing.

I crouched down and inspected the ground closer, and there the charm of a necklace had caught the light and flashed, making me aware of its presence.

The chain was delicate silver, the charm was also silver, smaller and thinner than a coin but it had the same round shape. One side was patterned with a delicate image; it almost reminded me of what I would imagine a dragon's tail to look like, fierce and curved. I turned it over and my breath caught in my throat, on it was the letter J.

J for Jillian.

I knew I had seen the necklace before. I had admired it once before when Jill was wearing it around her neck, years and years ago back at the Academy one of the first times I had met her. I wouldn't have remembered it unless I had seen it in person.

I turned at the sound of footsteps approaching me and saw Dimitri walking towards me with a look of disappointment in his eyes. I held up the necklace and the look soon turned into one of curiosity.

"It's Jill's." I muttered as I placed the necklace into his awaiting hand. My fingers grazed the rough palm of his hand as I felt the familiar tingle travel from the tips of my fingers all the way up my arm. It always blew me away that his hands could be use in such a dangerous way to kill his enemies, and yet be so gentle and sensual, like the touch of a feather.

He placed his available hand on the small of my back as we headed back down the gravel driveway, the further away we were, the more freely we could talk to one another.

"Are you sure it's hers?" He asked with a glance over his shoulder.

I was far too aware of the weight of his at my back as we made our way towards the road. "Yes, I recognised it even after I saw her Initial on it." I explained as he studied it closely. "Did you find anything round the back?" I asked.

"No, the windows were all boarded up, as was the backdoor. Meaning the only way of entrance and exit is the front door. The back was pretty much untouched." I considered his words for a moment before nodding.

We made it to the car and I sat for a moment before turning on the engine. "What now?" Dimitri asked from the passenger seat.

"We go back to The Academy, we get weapons and a change of clothes, then we come back and we get Jill." I said.

"And I suppose you have a plan for how we're going to do that?" He asked with a hint of a smile on his face as I held his eye contact.

An answering smile made its way onto my face. "I do have a plan, but you're not going to like it." I said as I turned the key in the ignition and the engine purred to life.

 **There we have Chapter 13! I have just read A Court of Thorns and Roses for the second time this year; I seriously can't enough of the series! I have been wondering what it would be like to write a fanfic for that series, but really can't decide!**

 **Thank you so much for all of your support, I'm really looking forward to writing the next chapter, I have a pretty badass way for Rose and Dimitri to get into the house. Thank you once again to every one of you who has followed, favourited and reviewed this story, I appreciate every one of you! I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, please let me know what you think as I often struggle to find motivation to write, as I worry that what I'm writing isn't what you want to read, but it's probably just me worrying too much.**


	14. Chapter 14

"No way, absolutely not."

Dimitri and I were currently sitting in my bedroom, me on the edge of my bed and him on one of the basic chairs beside it. I had just explained my plan for how to get Jill to him.

"Why the hell not?" I asked after he had made it perfectly clear he wasn't happy with my plan.

"It's too dangerous; you'll get killed before you can even get in there." He explained, his back was tense and his fists were clenched on either of his knees.

I rolled my eyes at his level of dramatics. "Have a little faith, it's worked for me before, and it'll work this time." I explained, trying to reassure him in any way.

"It's not that I don't have faith, it's just that the risks are too high. You don't know how this could work out. And when have you ever used this plan before?" He asked sceptically.

"I've used it several times before while out hunting, by myself. And you'll be there for backup, there's no way this can fail." I said.

"Of course you were by yourself, no sane Guardian would ever agree to a ridiculous idea like this." He said while his eyes held mine strongly.

"I do hope, Guardian Belikov, that you are not insinuating that I am not of sane mind." I pronounced every word clearly, knowing that I was not messing around and visibly saw him flinch as I used his professional title.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. But its way too dangerous, I can't let you put yourself at risk like that. Please, Rose." He pleaded. I knew he wouldn't be happy about my plan, but I didn't realise quite how much he would try and stop me.

"Why is it, that you care so much about my wellbeing now, but you haven't given a shit about it for the past four years?" The words slipped out before I could stop them, and he flinched once more, but soon recovered.

"We've been over this; I thought I was doing what was best for you. I never stopped caring about you, Roza. I will never stop caring about you." He said, I simply rolled my eyes at him before he continued. "Besides, there's no way Alberta will let you do this." I couldn't stop the smirk that made its way onto my face, his eyes darkened slightly as I was sure he saw my next words coming.

"Alberta knows, and has already agreed." I said smugly.

Dimitri stood abruptly then; the sudden movement making me jump from my seat at the end of the bed too. Dimitri's eyes followed my movements and he hesitated slightly before he took my hands into his.

I flinched at the feel of his skin against mine, the familiar tingle spreading up my arms and into my chest and lower stomach. He was standing so close; the softness of his breath warmed my face. I could see every fleck of colour in the irises of his eyes.

His eyes were gazing so intently into my own; I had to look away, instead looking at his chest, which wasn't the best idea either. I could see the lines of his muscles under his shirt and resisted the urge to run my hands over them.

He released one of my hands and instead gently but firmly gripped my chin and tilted my face up so I was looking at him once more.

"Please, Rose. I can't watch you do it to yourself, not again." He whispered.

It was then that I realised why this would be so hard for him. I was preparing to place myself right into the hands of the Strigoi in order to save Jill, and Dimitri would have to stand by and let it happen. I hadn't realised it would bring back memories for him too.

"I promise you I will be alright. I know you'll have my back, and I trust you not to let anything happen to me. But you have to let me do this." I pleaded right back.

He lifted my other hand and placed it on his chest, with his hand over the top, keeping it there.

I hadn't realised how close we had become, our chests were almost touching. One more half step and I would practically be in his arms. I had to hold myself back.

I glanced out of the single window that was in the room. "The sun is setting, we should be heading out." I said as I tried tugging my hand away, he simply clutched it closer to his chest.

"Dimitri." I said, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to say after that.

"Please." He said once more.

"I have to do this, _we_ have to do this. For Jill, for Lissa, for everyone. For ourselves as well. For you and for me." I knew I most likely sounded ridiculous, but he needed reassuring.

"For you?" He asked. He seemed so innocent in that moment, and I knew then that he would do anything for me, even if he knew the risk, he trusted me.

I simply nodded, and he reluctantly released my hand. "I need to change. Shall we meet outside in 5 minutes?" I asked him as I pulled my suitcase filled with my clothes out onto my bed, I hadn't bothered to unpack.

"Yes, I'll see you out there." He said before letting himself out of my room.

I stripped off my clothes and changed into tight fitting trousers that would be easy to move and fight in. I put my leather jacket over my top, which was also easy to move in, and would easily conceal the many weapons I planned on taking with me.

I had a knife slipped into the side of my boot, my stake in the inside pocket of my jacket, and a handgun slipped into the waistband of my trousers, with many other weapons easily concealed within my outfit.

The weight of the gun still felt unfamiliar in my hand, although I had been carrying it round for four years now. I had only used it a handful of times, as I preferred to fight hand to hand with my stake. And although it wouldn't kill Strigoi, it could distract them for a few seconds at least, and those few seconds could mean the difference between life and death.

Once we were both ready and armed to the teeth, we were on our way to that old manor house once more.

The car journey was tense and silent after we went over the plan not once but twice.

I parked the car down the street from the house and turned off the engine. I turned to look at Dimitri and saw him already looking at me carefully. "Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes. I'll see you in 20 minutes. Be careful." I said as I unbuckled my seatbelt.

"You too, please be careful. I'll be watching, I've got your back." He promised.

"Remember what I said, if anything happens, you take Jill and run, she is the priority." I held his gaze for a moment longer and jumped out of the car.

I ruffled my clothes and hair as I made my way down the street. I added a limp to my walk and forced my breathing to come out in heavy pants.

I pulled the knife from my boot and took a deep breath before running the razor sharp blade down my forearm. The dark blood began dripping from it.

I wiped my hand over the wound and smeared the blood over my neck.

The manor house was in sight now, although it was difficult to see in the dark, the only light was from the moon high up in the sky.

My heartbeat sped up as I approached, I didn't look back at the car parked, I knew Dimitri was watching, I could feel his gaze burning into my back.

"Help. Please, someone, anyone. Help me." My voice rose from a whisper to a yell for help and I stumbled down the road. I landed on my knees on the ground before the long driveway.

I waited for a moment until a familiar feeling of nausea rolled into my stomach and I knew my plan would work.

I sobbed loudly and forced tears to fall down my cheeks. In another life, I wondered if I would make a good actress.

I sensed their presences before I saw them.

"Well well, what do we have here?" A dangerous voice met my ears and I glanced up to see two Strigoi sneering down at me.

I made a point to gasp; I crawled away from them as effectively as I could. I felt the gravel scrape against my hands.

"It seems a filthy bloodwhore had stumbled into our path." One of them said with a horrid grin, showing his yellowing fangs.

They were both male, one a former Dhampir and the other a former Moroi.

"Please, don't hurt me. Let me go." I pleaded, forcing hysteria into my voice as I crawled back a few paces.

They simply laughed and lunged for me. I cried out as their cold hands bit into my arms and I was hauled up and onto my feet.

One was holding me tightly in a death grip while the other stood before me with a sickening smile on his face. "What is your name?" He asked.

I ground my teeth and kept my mouth shut.

I blinked and he was standing mere inches from me. He lowered his head until his nose grazed my neck and he inhaled deeply.

I prayed that he wouldn't bite me now; I just needed them to wait until we were inside and I knew that Jill was alive.

I heard the slap before I felt the sting across my face. "I asked for your name." He said once more.

I saw stars as the blinding pain stung my cheek and shot down my neck.

"Eva. My name is Eva." I whimpered between sobs.

The smile he gave me made my stomach drop.

"Let's bring her inside." The former Dhampir said to the other one.

"We can't take her in there, you know what the boss said; let's just kill her out here." The former Moroi said. My heart dropped to my stomach. I prayed they wouldn't kill me out here; I just had to get inside.

"I don't give a fuck; he's not here now, so I say we take her in." He growled. I had to hide my relief.

At least I knew now that the Strigoi weren't running the show, it was someone else, a 'he' to be specific, and I had to say I was pretty God damn glad that the boss wasn't here now.

And then they dragged me into the house.

I didn't glance back at the parked SUV or at Dimitri who was still sitting quietly inside it. I instead kept my spinning gaze on what was in front of me.

They dragged me through the derelict front door and slammed it shut behind us, it sounded like the slam from the door was going to tear the whole house down, the wooden floorboards creaked beneath our feet.

The Moroi-turned-Strigoi grabbed me by my hair, making me cry out, I added as much dramatics to the sound as I could, forcing tears to fall from my eyes. "What do we do with this one now?" He asked the other one who was clearly in charge.

The other Strigoi was in front of my in the blink of an eye. He grabbed me around the neck and shoved me into the closest wall. The impact made stars dance in my vision.

It took every ounce of my power not to fight back, my instincts were screaming at me to grab my stake and shove it through his cold heart.

There were three more Strigoi in the room now, drinking a questionable substance from clear glasses sitting around a table. They didn't even look up when I was dragged through the room once more; indicating that this kind of behaviour wasn't uncommon around here.

The other two dragged me down some rickety stairs, and I was hoping that this is where Jill was being held.

I was right.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs what I saw made my heart stop.

Jill was tied to a chair in the middle of the room, her head was slumped down and I was sure I could see blood training down her neck. I ground my teeth. Fight the urge Rose; I just had to wait until the time was right before I could rain down hell on these bastards. Her arms were visibly littered with bruises.

I was forced into a chair a few feet away from Jills, my arms were tied behind me.

"We'll be back to play later." They said before stalking up the stairs again.

Shit, they couldn't leave now; Dimitri would never get through with all the Strigoi upstairs. I had only seen 5 so far, but I was sure there had to be more throughout the house.

I waited 30 seconds once I could no longer hear their steps going up the stairs. "Jill. Jill, it's me, Rose. Can you hear me?" I said desperately in her direction.

There was no response for a few seconds before her head moved ever so slightly before lifting completely. "Rose?" She asked quietly.

Her eyes seemed to be more sunken into her face. The carefree girl I once knew was nowhere to be seen.

I forced a smile onto my face. "Hey, I've come to get you out of here okay? I have reinforcements waiting outside. Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I asked while scanning her for any more visible signs of injuries.

"No, a bit bruised and they fed on me a few times, but they've pretty much just left me down here most of the time." She said quietly while glancing around the room.

"I just need you to pretend to be unconscious when they come back down again, okay? Just stay quiet and out of the way and I promise I'll get you out." She nodded along with my words, her eyes were clear despite the fear I saw within them.

It took me a few minutes, but I finally managed to get the knife free from the waistband of my jeans, and once I did it only took me a minute more to cut through the roped binding my hands together. I cut Jills off too but instructed her to leave her hands where they were so that it looked like she was still immobile.

I wasn't entirely sure if this was going to work, but it was worth a try.

I stood at the bottom of the stairs, so I was out of sight when you walked down, and I screamed.

I screamed and cried out until I heard the door at the top of the stairs being yanked open and two set of footsteps thundering down the stairs. I gripped my stake tightly in my hands and took a deep breath.

The Strigoi strode straight past me. "Where's the bloodwhore gone?!" One of the yelled. That's when I pounced.

The first one was dead before they even realised what happened. The element of surprise allowed me to shove my stake into its heart through its back.

The other was almost as easy to take out. I sent a hard kick to his right knee, earning me the fraction of a second I needed to thrust my stake into his heart.

As soon as the body slumped to the ground, Jill was up and on her feet.

I knew she had no idea how to use it, and it would be pretty much useless in a fight, but I still shoved one of my knives into her shaking hand as I told her to stay behind me and stay hidden. I told her that Dimitri would be upstairs and that she had to go with him no matter what happened.

And then we made our way upstairs.

Dimitri, as promised, was already there.

He had already unleashed his wrath on the Strigoi in the house, and there was already an array of bodies around where he was battling the rest.

He looked Godly. He looked like he had been sent down from the Heavens.

I had seen Dimitri in many battles since I had known him, and I would never get over the view of him fighting his enemies.

There was cold, hard concentration on his face, the face that was currently framed with soft strands of hair with a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. He was simply mouth-watering.

It took me only a second to admire him before I threw myself into the fight. I shot two of the closest Strigoi to Dimitir, the bullets going straight through their heads. My ears were ringing by the time I dropped my gun and leapt into the fight, stake raised in my hand.

We ended up back-to-back as more and more Strigoi flowed throughout the house to greet us in the entryway.

I could feel every move he made as much as I could feel my own. It was like we were one single being. Whenever I took a step back, he took one forward. It was like our bodies recognised each other's fighting styles even though we hadn't worked together in years.

One Strigoi went to grab Dimitri from the side, but I caught his arms behind his back before he could so much as touch him, leaving the monsters front open for Dimitri to shove his stake into his awaiting chest.

I was facing one particularly strong Strigoi, when I heard Dimitri shout from behind me. "Duck!" I didn't think, I just dropped to my knee and swiped the Strigoi's legs out from under him while another appeared at my side and went to swipe just where my head had been.

My neck could very well be broken if it weren't for Dimitri.

It felt like we had been fighting for hours when the last body dropped to the ground, when in reality it must have only been minutes.

I turned slowly when we were done, to see that Dimitri was already looking intently at me. His eyes were carefully scanning my body when they met my gaze. He was covered in blood, after I had run my eyes over him; I was relieved to see that most of the blood was that of our opponents. A glance down at my own body made me notice that I too was a mess.

I wanted nothing more than to run into his arms in that moment, he was okay, I was okay, and most importantly Jill was okay.

I glanced to the corner where I had left her and saw he gazing at us with awe and tears in her eyes.

I went over and took her hand. "Come on, we should get out of here while we can. I'm sure you remember Dimitri, Jill." I said as way of reintroduction.

"Of course, it's good to see you again, Guardian Belikov." She stuttered while we made our way outside. Dimitri and I both checked the surroundings as we went.

"You too, although I wish it were under better circumstances." He said politely while glancing at me once more as we ran towards the car.

Dimitri jumped into the driver's seat of the car, and I didn't argue as I helped a weak Jill into the back of the car. I ran around the other side and jumped in beside her.

I glanced at her nervously; she was pale, too pale.

"Put your foot down, Comrade. We need to get Jill to a feeder." I said as Dimitri pulled the car away and sped down the road, back to the safety of the Academy.

We were safe, for now. Although I'm pretty sure this isn't going to be the last of our problems. I had to find out who was in charge of this operation, and who it was that took Jill in the first place.

 **There we have Chapter 14! I really hope you liked this chapter, I hope I didn't give it all away too soon, but this won't be the end of the drama, believe me! Thank you so much to everyone who has followed, favourited and reviewed, I appreciate every single one of you! Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, please let me know what you think as I love to hear from you!**


	15. Chapter 15

Things passed in a blur when we got back within the safety of the wards at the Academy. Alberta and an array of Guardians were waiting for us as we tumbled out of the car, covered in blood and still shaking from the battle. They ushered Jill straight out of the car and to the Infirmary where a feeder was also waiting for her with barely a second glance towards Dimitri and I. I trailed behind the group with Dimitri right by my side; I wasn't planning on leaving Jill any time soon.

Dimitri and I were waiting in the waiting room of the infirmary when Alberta came out of Jill's room. I stood up as she approached us, I was too restless to stay seated for much longer.

"Is she okay?" I asked bluntly, I felt bad for snapping at Alberta almost immediately.

"She's fine, a bit shaken up and weak, but she thankfully didn't have many injuries. We haven't asked her any questions about her experience, I was hoping you would be the one to talk to her about it, Rose, I know she trusts you." She explained.

"Of course, when should I talk to her?" I asked as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, I still felt lightheaded if I moved too much.

"Wait until tomorrow; she needs a good night's sleep, as do you. I want you both to go and see Doctor Olendzki right now and get something to eat, then go and get some rest, as well as a shower, you're both a mess." I looked down at myself and saw that she wasn't lying, I was covered in blood, I knew that the majority of it wasn't my own. "You both did well, really well." She said with a pride shining in her eyes, before pulling me into a brisk hug. I swallowed past the lump in my throat as she embraced me. "I'll call Guardian Croft and let him know the developments." She said.

Dimitri was by my side once more when Alberta released me from her embrace; his hand went straight to the small of my back as he guided us into the room that Alberta told us we should wait for the Doctor in after thanking her for dealing with Hans.

I found comfort in the weight of Dimitri's hand on my back, and found myself craving more rather than clinching away from the physical contact as I would have done a few weeks ago.

I sat on the hospital bed that was against the far side of the small room; Dimitri sat next to me after hesitating for only a second, he was so close that our legs and shoulders brushed against each other.

"Are you okay?" He asked as his eyes scanned my face.

His hand lifted ever so slowly and brushed my cheek, concern shining clearly in his eyes. Although the touch hurt my wound there, I found myself enjoying the smoothness of his fingers against my cheek. "When I saw them hit you, I almost jumped out of the car. It killed me, Rose." His voice was rough and hoarse and filled with emotion.

"Its fine, I'm fine. I'm glad you didn't, I had it under control." I said while gazing into those bottomless eyes of his. "Thank you... for being there. I couldn't have done it without you." I admitted as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. I found myself leaning into the touch before I realised what I was doing.

A chuckle rumbled through his chest before he licked his lip and spoke. My eyes followed the movement all too closely. "We both know that's not true. You would have been fine on your own."

His words brought a smirk onto my face. "That might be true, but you certainly made it easier."

His responding smile seemed to warm something deep within my chest that had been frozen for a very, very long time.

The door opened and someone cleared their throat, I blinked and sat up straight, I hadn't realised just how close Dimitri and I had become. I shuffled away a few inches.

Dr. Olendzki had finished examining Dimitri, he had only received a few minor cuts and bruises, when she moved onto me.

I was gazing out of the window when she had almost finished with me. "Rose?" She repeated. Oh, she must have tried to get my attention a few times already.

"Hmm?" I asked when I finally met her gaze.

"I said do you know if you hit your head at all during the mission." She asked with a hint of amusement in her voice, she was no doubt used to my antics by now.

I absentmindedly lifted my hand to the back of my head; my fingers came away sticky and red. How had I forgotten?

My mind flashed back to the Strigoi slamming my head against a wall. I blinked and I was back in the room.

"For goodness sake, Rose. I should have known you'd have more injuries than you were letting on." She muttered as she moved her attention onto the back of my head.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Dimitri asked with concern and irritation lacing his words, I had heard him use that tone far too many times when he was my mentor and I was his student.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I forgot. Besides, we had more important things to worry about."

"You don't need stitches and it doesn't seem like you have a concussion, lucky for you. I've cleaned the wound and I won't bother telling you to stay here overnight, so just take it easy for a day at least, okay? No strenuous activities." She ordered.

I huffed sarcastically. "Shame, I was going to give Stan a call and see if he was up for a good time."

Dimitri's expression made it worth it, he looked pissed.

The sun was rising by the time we were on the way to guest housing. I turned my face up towards the rising sun and basked in the warmth on my face. I could feel Dimitri's intense gaze on my face and didn't bother to call him out on it.

When we made it back to our rooms and were stood awkwardly in the hallway, I felt like I owed him something. I knew it took a lot for him to help me on my ridiculous mission today, and I knew he hated every moment of it.

Perhaps that's why after taking a deep breath, I wrapped my arms around Dimitri's waist. He was about to say something but my actions cut him off.

His body tensed for just a moment before he relaxed into the embrace and protectively wrapped his arms around me.

I felt truly safe for the first time in years.

His scent wrapped around me and I felt at peace, like maybe everything might be alright.

We had a long way to go before I could trust him completely, but being around him made it feel like my frozen heart was beginning to thaw.

I heard him inhale deeply before I felt his lips meet the skin of my temple.

My knees shook and I was glad his arms were around me so I didn't collapse onto the floor.

"Roza..." He breathed against my ear sending a shiver all the way down my spine.

My arms instinctively tightened around him before I untangled myself from his arms and took a step towards my bedroom door, putting some well needed distance between us. "Goodnight, I'll see you later." I said before turning and entering my room without looking back.

I had been brave, I was moving forward. I was taking steps in what I thought was the right direction.

-xXx-

 _He had me pinned; his red eyes were staring hungrily into my own. How is it possible that I could want him so much and not want him at all at the same time?_

 _I would always want Dimitri Belikov, but not in this body, not how he was now. Not with his unnatural speed and blood red eyes. Not with the fangs that pierced my neck so painfully and blissfully. Not when he kept me in this room, weak and completely submissive to him._

 _His hands were cold as he gripped my arms and slammed them against the wall. I felt my bones groan at the impact._

 _His smile was nothing but pure evil, those white fangs dripping my blood down his chin. "Why don't you look over there, Roza." His voice was a sensual purr in my ear. Even his voice had changed; it was no longer kind, now it lacked emotion completely._

 _He stepped aside, revealing the rest of the room. Lissa, Christian, Eddie and Adrian were all sat in chairs along the room, all gagged and bound with various wounds. Lissa was quietly sobbing. Eddie was thrashing against his restraints._

" _No! Let them go." I growled at Dimitri as I threw all my strength against him. His grip was like a vice, he wouldn't budge no matter how much I tried._

" _Certainly not. You will stay here and watch them die." He said before kissing my cheek slowly. I yanked my face away from his lips, but he only grabbed my chin and held me against him._

" _Dimitri please, let them go, please Dimitri."_

"Rose! Roza! Please wake up." I heard his kind voice reach my ears, he was pleading with me.

My eyes flew open and I saw Dimitri looking down at me. I didn't think, I just acted.

I shoved him off me and jumped off the bed. I was in a fighting stance before I knew what was happening, my stake gripped strongly in my hands, I wasn't even sure how it got there.

"Roza, it's me." He said from across the room. His arms held up in a calming gesture.

"Dimitri?" I asked, while switching the bedside lamp on as quickly as I could before looking into his eyes. No red there, only beautiful brown. I knew it was him; I just needed to know _which_ Dimitri it was that was staring at me from across my bedroom.

"Yes, it's me. I heard you screaming... screaming my name and I came running. Are you alright?" There was nothing but concern in his eyes. I glanced down and saw that he was wearing only pyjama bottoms, his smooth chest was bare.

I dropped my arms and slowly placed my stake back on my bedside table before sitting back on the bed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I woke you." I said while rubbing at my tired eyes.

"Its fine, I just had to check you were okay." He said as he carefully perched on the bed beside me, a good distance away, the low light from the lamp made his eyes look like such a dark brown that they were almost black.

I frowned before clearing my throat. "How did you get in here? I thought I locked my door."

A look of guilt flashed on his features as he glanced at the door. "I umm... broke the lock." He said sheepishly.

I glanced at the door and saw that the lock had indeed bust.

I looked at him and laughed humourlessly. "I'm sorry. I heard you screaming and I thought you might be hurt, I didn't think about it, I just ran." He said while running his eyes over my body, I felt fire flood my veins as he took in my skimpy pyjama shorts and tank top.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked me sincerely as he shuffled a few inches closer. The heat that radiated off his body warmed me even from that distance.

"Not really. You say I screamed your name?" I asked nervously.

"Yes, amongst other things. I didn't realise you had nightmares still." He said, the guilt shining clear in his eyes. I couldn't stand seeing that look there. He must have known what my nightmares were about without having to ask.

"Sometimes." I said noncommittally.

"I'm so sorry, Roza. I don't know how you can even stand to be in the same room as me." He said, his voice was rough and hoarse.

"You know very well that I have forgiven you for everything that happened during that time, I know it wasn't you, you had no control over it. There was nothing to forgive." I was getting tired of having the same conversation with him over and over again.

"I know, but everything that happened after that as well. I really messed up." He said while running his hand through his hair, a clear sign that he was frustrated.

"I'm glad you're finally realising what an idiot you were." I replied.

His whole body suddenly shifted so he was facing me, his face showed calm determination. He moved so fast that it made me flinch.

"Rose, I realised I messed up the minute those words left my mouth in the church. Don't you think I realised how much I hurt you that day? I literally watched the spark leave your eyes." He said through gritted teeth. His eyes shone with unshed tears and I found that a lump had formed in my throat as my own tears threatened to spill.

"Why didn't you do anything about it then?" I asked quietly.

"I thought things would be better for you if I wasn't there. So many times I almost came back. I packed my bags and walked out of the door so many times, Rose. But I knew that you wouldn't want to see me even if I did come back." He explained as he wiped at his eye before I could see the evidence of his upset.

I knew Dimitri Belikov had broken me in that moment in the Church all those years ago, but I hadn't realised that perhaps he had broken himself too.

"So why now? Why is all this coming out now? Why did you even come back?" I asked.

"When I knew that Tasha and I would be coming back to Court and I would be seeing you, I had no intention of talking to you, I was going to stay out of your way as much as I could and let you get on with your life. But then I saw you, and everything went to shit. I realised that I had wasted the past four years of my life, because I was never really living without you there." I felt his words crack through my body like a bold of lightening; I don't think I had ever heard such powerful words.

"And what about Tasha? Does she think you two are an item? I'm pretty sure she loves you." I said, trying to think of anything but the way he was looking at me and how close he was.

His eyes darkened at her name. "She knows that nothing will ever happen between me and her. She wasn't happy but I think she's come to terms with it." He said.

Then I asked the all important question, I almost didn't want the words to come out of my mouth.

"What do you want from me? What are you looking to gain from telling me all this. I know you're trying to get closer to me again, I've noticed all the touches and the stolen glances. What is it that you want from me?" I asked again. Although I didn't reject the touches he had given me, whether it be the hand on my back or brushing a lock of hair behind my ear. I had selfishly accepted every touch.

"I'm not going to make decisions for you again, Rose. I messed up last time because I thought I was doing what was best for you. But I love you, Roza. I have never stopped loving you. Not one single day has gone past where I haven't thought about you and wished you were by my side. You light up my whole damn existence by just being in the same room." He was breathing heavily now. "It's your call, if you want me to leave and never bother you again, then I'll go right now if that's what will make you happy, it will kill me to do it, but I will walk out of that door right now, you just have to say the words." He was standing in the middle of the room now, pointing at the door he had broken through what must have been moments ago, as if he really would walk out and never look back.

He was letting me make the decision, and I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do.

I had only just got him back, and although it broke me to see him again, I have slowly been healing the more time I spend with him. I knew one thing was for certain, I was not going to make this easy on him.

I pulled the covers from the bed and slipped my legs beneath them and laid my head against the pillow. Dimitri watched the movement closely. I knew he was waiting for me to say something.

I held his gaze for a moment before he nodded and headed towards the door.

I let him cross the room, and waited until his hand grabbed the door handle.

"Wait." I said. He stopped.

"Stay." He stopped moving, his head turned slowly to look at me once more.

"Stay with me." I declared. His shoulders seemed to sag a bit at the words, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

He slowly walked over to the bed; I sunk deeper into the sheets.

"Here?" He asked quietly.

I simply nodded. I didn't give him an explanation, because quite frankly I didn't have one. I had no idea what I was doing or why, but I knew one thing. I didn't want him to leave. I wanted him in the same room as me, by my side. I needed to know that when I looked into his eyes they would be brown and not red.

He slowly pulled back the covers on the other side of the bed and lowered himself in.

His scent wrapped around me and I felt a sense of peace wash over me.

I closed my eyes and fell into the deepest and calmest sleep that I had had in years.

 **There we have Chapter 15! Sorry for the wait, I've been on holiday to Budapest! Have any of you been on any nice vacations/holidays? Where would you say your favourite trip has been to? Mine was probably Venice two years ago, it's so beautiful there.**

 **Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read, follow, favourite and review this story, I appreciate every single one of you so much. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and I would love to hear what you thought about it!**


	16. Chapter 16

I felt well rested the next morning; I hadn't slept in nearly two days after all.

I felt warm and comfortable, and above all I felt safe. Like I didn't have to worry about anything at all in the world. I couldn't figure out why I felt so very peaceful until I noticed the arm that was wrapped protectively around my waist and the deep breaths that were brushing against my neck.

I shifted enough so that I could turn my head to see Dimitri's sleeping face. All the worry lines that usually adorned his face were completely smoothed out as he slept. He looked younger than I had ever seen him before.

His lips were slightly parted and his loose hair was lying across his forehead. My mind flashed back to the words he had spoken to me last night, he had told me he loved me. I knew he wanted me, but I didn't realise he actually _loved_ me, even after all this time.

My eyes travelled further down to appreciate his bare chest and the smooth muscles coating his body. My eyes followed a trail of hair from his lower stomach all the way down between the V of his hips, where the waistband of his pyjama bottoms cut off my wandering eyes.

I lifted my hand and brushed his hair behind his ear, revealing more of his God-like face.

A low rumble sounded from his chest as my fingers brushed his temple and ear before he moved. He turned and pulled me flush against his hard body and nuzzled his nose against my neck before inhaling deeply.

"Roza." He mumbled in his sleep. His hand was clutching my waist tightly against his body and our legs were completely tangled together.

I thought I felt something hard pressing against my back and I knew I had to get away.

The light shining through the crack in the curtains made me stop short, what time was it? I glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Shit. We've been asleep for way too long.

I groaned as I tried to move, Dimitri only pulled me closer against his body.

"Shit." I grunted.

I managed to shove his arm off me and had just sat up when he grabbed me and pulled me back against him once more. This time I was facing his chest, his arms and legs had enveloped me completely, and he didn't even know he was doing it.

"Dimitri." I said while shoving against his chest, trying not to get distracted at how smooth the skin was there.

"What _moya lyubov_?" He mumbled, his accent was so strong in his half-conscious state. Half of what he said was in Russian, I had no idea what he had just called me, whatever it was, it made the hair on my arms rise and a shiver run through my body.

I pushed against him again. "We need to get up." I said through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the flames that were sent across my body in every place his skin met mine, which was pretty much every inch.

Our cores were far too close to each other, I didn't want to know what might happen if they touched.

"Roza?" He asked as he finally opened his eyes, they widened soon after he saw the position we were in. I took his surprise as an opportunity to finally shove him off me and leapt off the bed.

"I'm sorry." He said when he realised what had happened. "What time is it?" He asked as he sat up and ran a hand through his hair.

"It's late. We should have been up hours ago." I said, realising that I hadn't slept that well in years.

I grabbed a towel off the back of the nearby chair. "I'm going to take a shower. I suggest you do the same." I said while quickly glancing down at the tent that had formed in his trousers, I couldn't keep the smirk off my face. I cleared my throat. "I suggest you do so in your own bathroom." I clarified before he got any ideas.

He followed my gaze and shifted so he was covered by the sheets. "Good idea." He said while getting up and heading to the door.

"Meet outside in 20 minutes?" I asked as I made my way to the bathroom.

"Of course. See you in a little while." He said as he rushed out of the door. I wasn't sure I had ever seen Dimitri embarrassed before.

I showered and dressed into casual clothes. I had considered wearing my guardian's uniform but I knew that we would be speaking with Jill, and I wanted the conversation to be as informal as possible so she wouldn't be nervous.

Alberta was waiting in her office for us when we arrived in the Guardians HQ; she had a humorous smile on her face as she beheld our appearances.

"I don't even w _ant_ to know why you're _both_ so late." She said as she rose from behind her desk, eyeing us both mischievously, before ushered us outside.

"We'll be speaking with Jill in her own personal apartment; she said she was happy to have us round and understands what will happen." She explained as we headed across campus.

I stepped forward and knocked on the door that Alberta had just told us was Jill's.

The door opened 5 seconds later, not that I was counting. Jill opened the door with a small smile on her beautiful face, although there were shadows in her green eyes, they were still clear and alert. And that's when I noticed the colour of her eyes. Those were Lissa's eyes. How had I never noticed it before?

If I didn't believe that they were related before, I certainly did now.

"Hey Jill, how are you doing?" I asked as she opened her arms and embraced me into a tight hug. She was strong despite her small size.

"I'm fine, thanks to you guys." She said as she ushered us inside her apartment. It was small but tastefully decorated and homely.

"Please, sit down. Can I get you guys anything to drink?" She offered kindly as she made her way into the kitchenette off the living room while we sat down on the couch and chairs around the room.

Jill sat down with us after setting down our glasses of water on the coffee table in the middle of the room.

"So you're doing alright?" I asked as Alberta set the voice recorder on the table after turning it on.

Jill's eyes glanced to it for only a second before holding my gaze again. "I'm fine, really. Thank you both so much for coming and getting me out of there." She said to Dimitri and I, who was sitting by my side a respectful distance away.

"You don't need to thank us, Jill. We were just doing our job; we could never have left you there in their hands." I said before clearing my throat and continuing. "While I was with the Strigoi they mentioned someone in charge, I don't suppose you know who it was that was running the operation, do you?" I asked.

She shook her head before speaking. "I'm sorry, I didn't see many of their faces, I was blindfolded most of the time." She said.

"That's okay. Do you know if the person in charge was in the room with you at any point? If it was a man or a woman? Possibly if they were a Strigoi or Moroi?" I asked.

She thought about it for a moment. "It was definitely a man, he sounded old I guess, a raspy voice, quite well spoken." She said as she thought a while longer, almost as if she was reliving everything she heard while she was there. "Oh! I'm pretty sure he is a Moroi, I heard some of the Strigoi bitching about the fact that they were working for a Moroi." She said finally.

"Thank you. That really helps; hopefully we'll be able to figure out who it was soon enough." I said with a smile which she reciprocated.

I could feel Dimitri and Alberta watching the interaction between Jill and I closely, taking note of every detail she shared.

"Is there anything else you think might help us find him?" I asked.

She rubbed at the corner of her eyes before speaking. "Hmm. It's all such a blur really. But now I think about it, the guy in charge kept saying I was important for something. I told him he must have the wrong person, that I was no one important. And he kept saying I had no idea how important I was. Why would he say that?" She asked me.

What was I supposed to say? Surely I couldn't tell her about her true heritage right now?

My eyes flickered towards Alberta in my panic, and she slightly shook her head. I'm guessing that meant I wasn't to tell Jill anything yet.

"I'm not sure, but I'm sure we can find out. Jill, we know that this wasn't a random attack, and that you were taken for a reason. But now that you're safe and with us, it's important that you are protected properly. And so we were hoping that you would come back to Court with Dimitri and I." I said as pleasantly as I could.

I saw the nervousness wash over her as she realised what I was asking. "Court? Why do I need to go there?" She asked. "I'm safe here, aren't I?"

"Of course you're safe here. But we want to find out why you are being targeted and make sure it doesn't happen again, which we can do better if you're at Court with us." I told her.

"But, I can't just leave the Academy, I have responsibilities here. And where would I stay?" She began rambling nervously.

Alberta cut in then. "Your responsibilities here will be taken care of until you return; it won't be a problem at all." She said kindly, her eyes warm and friendly.

"And as for where you'll stay, you can stay anywhere you want! We can arrange somewhere in guest housing for you, or you can stay in my house with me, Lissa and Christian live right next door." I told her, which seemed to ease her nervousness slightly.

"Really? You all live there together? That's nice." She said honestly. "Don't you live at Court, Dimitri?" She asked, focussing her attention towards the Russian by my side.

"Umm, no. I'm currently staying in guest housing." He said, speaking for the first time since we had sat down.

Jill's eyebrows rose ever so slightly at his words, before she glanced between the two of us for a moment. "Oh... I thought... Nevermind." She said, brushing her curiosity off. I knew what she was thinking though; she thought that Dimitri and I were an item. I thought I saw a look of shock cross Alberta's face as well, but it was gone before I could know for sure.

We continued talking for some time after that, and she eventually agreed to come back to Court with us in a day or two once she had sorted things out here.

"Well, at least she agreed to come back with us." I said to Alberta and Dimitri as we walked across campus together.

"You did well, Rose. I am confident that she will be safe at Court with you." Alberta praised me.

"I hope so." I said hopefully, not entirely sure how this was going to play out.

"I was thinking of heading over to the gym now, if you'd like to join me, Rose?" Dimitri asked politely after we had walked in silence for a few minutes.

I was about to respond when Alberta cut in. "Actually, I was hoping to speak with Rose for a minute, but I'm sure she'd love to meet you there." She said with a knowing grin before taking my arm and dragging me in a different direction to the one Dimitri was heading in. He gave us a confused look but carried on walking.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed when Alberta finally released her grip on my arm.

"Sorry." She said sheepishly. "I just wanted to tell you that you handled it all really well back there, Rose. I know that it seems like being a Guardian is just fighting and protecting Moroi, but it's so much more than that, it's about being there for your charge too. You did really well."

"Is that really all you wanted to say?" I asked.

"I know it's none of my business, but I thought you and Dimitri were... well, an item. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." She said with such a motherly look in her eyes, I had never seen my own mother give me a look like that.

"No, he left four years ago after we got him back. But now he's back, he's not making it easy for me to hate him." I said, I felt my shoulders sag as I said the words.

"He really loves you, Rose. I've seen you and him together before it all happened, back when you were student and mentor. He loved you then, the look hasn't changed." She said.

"I know he does, he's told me as much. But I can't just forget about what happened, it hurt me too much." I said quietly, finding it very difficult to admit my weakness.

Alberta stopped me once more by gently placing her hand on my arm in a comforting gesture. "If I may be so bold as to give you some advice. I would say get over it. You only get one life, and it's too short to waste something as incredible as what you and Belikov have. Life is so uncertain, especially for Guardians, you don't know what is round the corner, so make the most of your time while you still have it." She said, before embracing me tightly and walking off towards the Guardians building.

I got changed into my work out clothes and found Dimitri waiting outside the gym when I approached. We headed inside together and hesitated when we saw a lesson being held inside with a group of Novice's and a Guardian I recognised at the front.

"Hathaway, Belikov!" The Guardian in charge called us as we entered.

"Guardian Cook, It's good to see you again." Dimitri greeted with one of those bro hugs that all men seem to do.

I knew I recognised him; he was a Guardian while I was at the Academy, he had helped out in a few of our combat classes, and he was a skilled fighter from what I could remember.

"We were just about to start some sparring, how about you show these Novice's how it's done?" He said after greeting me enthusiastically.

Dimitri and I looked at each other, that tether between us going taut as I held his gaze. "Remember what the Doctor said Rose, no strenuous activities." Dimitri said with a stern look.

I glanced at the faces of the Novice's staring at us throughout the room. They looked at us like we were Gods. I remember looking at Guardians like that when I was a Novice; I never thought I would be the one they looked up to.

I gave the Novice's a wink before facing Dimitri once more with my hands on my hips. "Don't you think you can keep up, Grandpa?" I said with a smirk.

Dimitri's eyes flashed with a dangerous light that made my heart skip a beat, although I could still see the concern shining in his eyes.

"And don't you dare go easy on me because of the bump to the head." I said with a growl.

Dimitri's returning smile flooded my body with heat. "I wouldn't dare, Roza."

We did some warm up stretches alongside the Novice's and Guardian Cook, while he explained to them that I was once a student here while Dimitri was a Guardian, and went over who our charges were and other information like that. By the nods and enthusiastic comments coming from the students, I'd say they already knew all of that anyway.

The Novice's stood around in a circle as Dimitri and I got into our fighting stances, we had both been given practice stakes.

Guardian Cook counted down from three, and as soon as he finished counting, I charged at Dimitri. I knew he would expect me to wait and feel out what technique he was going for, but I didn't feel like waiting around today.

I feinted a punch with my right fist and instead went for a shot with my left, Dimitri saw what I was doing and blocked the movement with ease, sending his own punch to my ribs which I managed to step back from. Then we were circling each other again.

I could head Guardian Cook commentating and discussing out techniques with the students as we fought, but I managed to block out the rest of the world until it was just Dimitri and I in the room.

He waited several moments before he attacked. He lunged towards me and sent his leg out to swipe me feet from beneath me, I saw the movement coming and managed to jump over his leg, but he took the opportunity while my feet were off the ground to unbalance me with a shove to the shoulder. I soon recovered and countered the movement with a punch of my own.

This continued for several more minutes, simply trying to tire each other out.

I could hear the student's encouragement as they cheered and shouted for us, I heard my name and Dimitri's and figured that the odds were pretty even. A quick glance around me told me that we had acquired quite an audience, and that several Guardians were also watching us battle.

The distraction cost me, and he sent a punch to my stomach. I knew he would have liked to aim for my head, but he was avoiding it due to the injury. I gritted my teeth as his fist met my stomach.

"I told you not to go easy on me." I growled as I grabbed his wrist before he could retract it.

I gripped his strong arm as hard as I could and yanked it towards me. He stumbled towards me, and I used the close proximity between us to send two punches to his stomach, I heard the breath leave his lungs and had to try my best not to feel guilty about it. I saw his eyes darken and I knew I had awoken something primal in him.

I hooked my leg around the back of his and pulled with all my might. We grappled for what felt like a lifetime but must have only been a few seconds, and ended up in a tangle of limbs on the floor.

Dimitri was using both of his hands to pin my arms to my sides, he was so very close to me, his masculine scent flooded my nose.

I struggled until I finally managed to free one of my legs and shove him to the side, his second of imbalance allowed me to twist us so that I was on top of him. Now we both had our stakes free.

I didn't think, I just gripped my stake and thrust it down to meet his chest, at the same time his thrust up to mine.

We had both killed each other at the same time.

It was a draw.

The shouting from our audience was deafening, but I hardly heard it.

The only sound was mine and Dimitri's breathing and the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears.

He was so very close, every inch of my body was pressed firmly against his.

His lips parted as his tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip, my eyes were drawn to the movement like a moth to a flame.

I bit my lip in an effort to cool the fire flooding through my veins; it only drew his eyes to the movement.

One of my hands was still gripping the stake against his thundering heart; the other was placed by its side. My hand gripped the fabric of his shirt, I wasn't sure if it was to draw him closer or to push him away.

His eyes were almost black as they scanned my face with nothing but pure masculine power.

Our faces were inches apart, all I had to do was tilt my face ever so slightly and our lips would meet.

It's like I was in a trance. I lifted my chin so we were even closer, so much so that we were sharing breath.

"Roza. We have an audience." He breathed. Although he looked just as entranced as I did. I hadn't seen such love and lust on his face in a very long time. But it was like a bucket of ice cold water had been thrown over me, and suddenly I was back in the room with the chanting deafening my ears.

I dropped my stake beside us and leapt off his warm body.

Dimitri didn't seem like he was going to get up any time soon, he lay on the floor with a dazed expression on his face. I bent down and held a hand out to him with a shit-eating grin on my face. "Can't you get up Grandpa? Did you leave your walking stick at home?" I said as he gripped my hand and hauled himself up.

My skin tingled where it met his and I struggled to let go.

The Novice's seemed pretty pleased with our fight, and a few guardians clapped us on the back with impressed expressions on their faces. Guardian Cook thanked us for the 'interesting' demonstration as then got the Novice's started on their own sparring.

Dimitri and I caught our breath back as we did a few cool down stretches before heading out of the gym. "Thanks for not going easy on me towards the end." I said with a glance at him, he was already watching me.

"I wasn't going easy on you, you know I wouldn't." He declared.

I tried lifting an eyebrow and failed miserably.

"And enough with the Grandpa jokes. You know very well I'm in good condition." He said. The rough tone of his voice made me stop and turn; he took a step towards me so that there was very little distance between us.

I caught the meaning behind his words and clenched my fists to stop me grabbing him and straddling him there and then.

"Hmm, I don't know about that. It's been a few years since I've seen you do any _real_ work." I wasn't talking about sparring and he knew it. I was talking about a different kind of activity between the two of us.

"Don't challenge me, Roza." He growled.

I leaned up on my tiptoes so that our faces were closer together and slowly lifted my hand. Instead of gripping him and pulling him closer, I patted him on the head like I would do to a dog.

"All that growling makes you sound like a wild animal." I said with a smirk as I walked past him and sauntered off. I added a bit of swing to my hips simply because I could feel the burn of his gaze on my back.

If he wanted me, I was going to make him work for it.

 **There we have Chapter 16! I really hope you enjoyed it as I absolutely loved writing the tension between our favourite couple! I'm seriously beginning to build up to their kiss now, I'm just not entirely sure how I'll make it happen yet, but It's going to be steamy that's for sure! If you have any suggestions on how their first kiss should be I'd love to hear it! Thank you so much to everyone who has read, followed, favourited and reviewed this story, I seriously appreciate every single one of you. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you thought, and thank you so much for reading!**


	17. Chapter 17

I had a phone call from Hans the following day; he was letting me know that a private jet with four additional guardians would be touching down at the Academy's airstrip at dawn. He was sending more guardians due to the importance of Jill, it's not that he didn't trust Dimitri and I to do the job, just that she was simply too important.

I crossed the hallway outside of my room in guest housing so I was in front of Dimitri's. I took a deep breath and knocked.

The door opened a moment after I finished knocking. Dimitri opened the door, his luscious hair was tied back at the nape of his neck, and he was dressed in workout clothes, just as I was.

His eyes scanned me from head to toe before holding my gaze. He lifted an eyebrow as a way of greeting and I internally fumed at the fact that everyone could seem to do that but me.

"I just had a phone call from Hans, a jet and guardians will be here at dawn to take us back to Court." I explained.

He glanced at the watch on his wrist before nodding. The sun had just set so we had 12 hours at least before it would rise again.

"Okay, what are you up to now?" He asked while running his eyes over my outfit.

"I'm on my way to let Jill know that we'll be leaving soon so she can sort out her affairs, then I was going to go to the gym to kill some time." I said.

He grabbed his stake and cell phone and shoved them in the pocket of his duster after slipping it on while I was talking. He stepped out of his room and locked the door. "Mind if I join you?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Looks like you're going to anyway." I said with a pointed look towards his locked door and the key in his hand. He simply smiled and started walking beside me.

Jill opened the door with a nervous smile after we knocked, but pulled me into an embrace all the same. "Hey guys." She said as she released me. "Do you want to come in?" She asked, gesturing inside her apartment.

I smiled gratefully at her for the offer. "That's okay; we're just on the way to the gym. We were just dropping by to let you know that I've had a call from Guardian Croft, the head Guardian at Court, and he's sending a jet over at dawn to take us to Court at first light, if that's ok with you?" I said hesitantly.

"Wow... It's so soon." She said as she fiddled her hands in front of her.

"I know it's soon, but if you don't have enough time to pack everything, we can send someone over to bring the rest of your things." I offered.

"That won't be necessary, but thank you. I don't have a tonne of stuff here anyway, and I started arranging cover for my lessons yesterday. I should be good to go at dawn." She assured us.

"Alright, I'll drop by when the jet is here and help you with your things, but let me know if you need anything before then." I said.

"Thanks for everything you guys." She said soon before we left and headed towards the gym.

I gave Dimitri and sly grin as we exited the apartment building. "Race you to the gym!" I yelled before taking off in the direction of the gym. I saw Dimitri's startled expression before he charged after me.

I heard his feet pounding the ground as my own thundered beneath me, he was close behind me, too close.

Dimitri was right on my tail the whole way; I knew he could easily beat me if he really tried, what was he up to?

Students and teachers jumped out of our path, some laughing, and some outright staring.

The gym was in sight, I pushed my feet to move faster.

I was mere feet away from the doors, my arms were extended ready to shove the doors open and win the race.

That's when I felt his arms wrap around my waist and he lifted me right off the ground.

He flipped me right over his shoulder as if I weighed little more than a feather so now he was the one closest to the gym. He stepped back with his arms still round my waist so his back hit the wall of the gym with a light thud. "I win." He breathed with a smile brighter than the sun on his face.

We were both out of breath and breathing heavily, I stumbled against him and balanced myself with my arms on his shoulders.

We were so very close to each other, the crisp scent of his cologne drifted to my nose and I inhaled deeply.

His hands were gripping my hips, the warmth of his skin seeping through my clothes and warming my skin, it took more effort than it should have done to not shift my hips closer to him.

I saw the lust and desperate need in his eyes as he gazed down at me; I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth to distract myself from the temptation of his lips. I saw his eyes follow the movement and knew he wanted, no, needed me. I was starting to think that maybe I needed him too.

I took a step closer so our bodies were pressed firmly up each others; he had nowhere to go while he was backed up against the wall. I fisted my hands into the leather of his duster, completely at war with myself.

The door to the gym slammed open beside us and a few Guardians walked out, joking and laughing with each other.

I took the opportunity to leap away from Dimitri, trying to catch my breath. He was still watching me very closely as we made our way into the gym a respectful distance apart.

He slipped his duster off, revealing his tight fitting shirt beneath, clinging tightly to the ripped muscles along his back and abdomen.

He caught my eye when he saw me admiring the view. I decided that two can play at that game.

I pulled my jumper off over my head, so I was only wearing workout leggings and a sports bra, leaving my stomach and back bare. His eyes widened to the size of saucers when he took in my appearance. His heated gaze turned the blood in my veins to fire.

Our workout was heated to say the least. I caught him watching me as I punched and kicked at the punching bag. He was watching me, and I was watching him too. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

I watched as he lifted the weights above his head, watched as the muscles tensed and then relaxed. I then watched the graceful dance as he beat the shit out of the punching bag he faced.

I decided I had had enough of the punching bag. I went over to the mats on the ground and starting doing cool down stretches. I relished in the feeling of my muscles stretching and tightening as I moved.

I lay with my back on the mat and lifted my thigh close to my chest; I closed my eyes as I felt the muscles stretch.

I knew he was close to me by the strong masculine scent that hit my nose. I opened my eyes and saw him gazing down at me with enough fire in his eyes to set the whole room alight.

My breathing suddenly became incredibly uneven.

"Do you want some help?" His voice was almost a growl, it was hoarse and rough and pure strong male. Sweat shone on his forehead and I knew I couldn't have declined his offer even if I wanted to.

I didn't speak, I just nodded.

My eyes followed his every movement as he came and crouched in front of me between my legs.

He slowly and carefully picked up my right ankle and ran his hands up and down it, firmly rubbing at the muscles I had been working. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from making any kind of inappropriate noise. His eyes held mine.

He gently bent my leg at the knee and pushed it towards my chest, following the movement with his body so he was hovering above me.

My breathing was simply erratic by now; I could tell he was struggling to keep his under control.

He pushed my thigh against my chest, stretching the muscles while he his fingers worked magic on my legs.

We held the position for a moment before he ever so slowly placed my leg flat on the ground.

Then he moved onto the next one.

His lifted my left leg by the ankle and ran his hands up it until it bent at the knee, pushing it towards my chest like he did before.

His fingers ran up and down my calf and thigh, getting dangerously close to my aching core with every stroke of his thumb.

His thumb brushed a particularly sensitive part of my thigh and a low moan emitted from my throat before I could stop it.

Dimitri's eyes widened ever so slightly before his lips parted and he released a shuddering breath. A lock of his hair fell in front of his face with the movement.

I lifted a shaking hand and brushed the hair behind his ear.

I was about to pull my hand away when he shifted his face so my palm was resting against his warm cheek. His stubble tickled the calluses of my hand.

His hand trailed up my leg until it was firmly gripping my hip, holding me in place. Not that I'd ever want to move.

I ran my thumb over his cheek and his eyes closed as he released a shuddering groan from deep within his chest.

I had known from the moment I met him that I could never _not_ love Dimitri Belikov.

I moved my hand to the back of his head and pulled his hair out from where it was tied at the nape of his neck and ran my fingers through the strands.

I didn't let myself think about what I was doing for a minute longer.

I gripped him at the back of the neck and pulled him closer while I lifted my head until there was barely an inch between us.

And then I tilted my head and our lips met.

I felt Dimitri hesitate for just a moment before he relaxed and his fingers tangled into my hair.

The kiss started painfully slow, I savoured every place where our lips moulded together.

And then I wrapped my legs around his waist, and his tongue parted my lips.

His hand gripped the bare skin of my waist as his other firmly fisted my hair.

One of my hands was still tangled in the soft strands of his hair.

I ran the other hand down his chest until I slipped it under the hem of his shirt and slowly caressed the muscles coating his stomach. A moan rumbled from deep within his throat as he nipped at my bottom lip.

"Roza." He muttered as he moved his kisses down to my throat.

"Dimitri." I breathed as my hips thrusted up on their own accord when he sucked on a sensitive part of my neck, just behind my ear.

His hips thrust against mine, and when I felt something hard brush against my core I moaned deep and loud.

I felt like my whole body was on fire.

Some part of me registered that we were in a gym, a public place, where anyone could walk in at any point.

"Dimitri." I breathed between kisses after our lips joined together in a heated dance once more. "Someone could walk in." I finally managed to say. Surprised that I could even form coherent sentences at this stage.

He kissed me for a moment longer before he finally pulled away with a groan of frustration.

The smile on his face was absolutely radiant as he looked down at me and brushed a stray strand of hair from my flustered face.

"You're right." He said as he carefully untangled our bodies and sat up beside me. I sat up next and ran my fingers through my cropped hair trying to tame the tangles his urgent hands had formed.

"What?" I said when I found his staring intently at me for some time.

He shook his head as if clearing his thoughts. "Nothing." He said with a smile. "It's just you. You're incredible."

I found myself smiling genuinely back at him, I didn't even have to fake it.

I took a deep breath and stood up on shaking legs. His smirk didn't go unnoticed when he noticed me stumble ever so slightly.

"We... I need to get ready to go." I said as I glanced at the watch on my wrist. What I didn't say was that I needed a shower, a very cold shower.

He nodded and stood up, brushing the non-existent dust off his sweats.

We made our way to guest housing in tense silence. Our hands get brushing against each others as we walked.

We parted to our own bedrooms with little more than a glance.

-xXx-

Dimitri, the jet and the guardians that came with it were already ready and waiting when Jill and I arrived at the Academy's airstrip, me carrying my own suitcase as well as one of hers. Alberta was also waiting, speaking with a very familiar face.

"Eddie!" I cried when I was finally close enough to recognise the blond mess of hair.

I quickened my pace as I hauled our bags over to the group, but didn't run only out of consideration to Jill.

When I finally reached the group waiting for us, I threw myself into Eddie's awaiting arms, interrupting the conversation he was having with Dimitri and Alberta.

Eddie wrapped his strong arms around me. "Good to see you in one piece, Hathaway. I hear you've been causing trouble." He said as he released me from his embrace.

I gave him a mock shocked look. "Me? Causing trouble? Never!" Making him laugh along with Alberta and Dimitri.

I hugged Alberta next, only briefly catching her off guard. "Don't be a stranger, Rose. It's been good having you back." She said as she held me tightly. "If you ever need anything, don't ever hesitate to ask." She declared as she finally released me from her motherly embrace.

"You too." I said as I swallowed past the lump in my throat.

She smiled at me kindly before bidding farewell to Jill who soon boarded the jet along with the other three Guardians who had arrived on the jet, leaving just the four of us behind.

Alberta, shocking all of us, pulled Dimitri into her arms. He awkwardly crouched to accommodate her small size. "Look after her. And I'm sure I don't need to warn you not to hurt her ever again." She said fiercely, causing Eddie to give me a questioning look with a raised eyebrow. I simply rolled my eyes and shook my head, another time.

After a short goodbye to Eddie, we were all on board the jet and preparing for takeoff.

Dimitri and I hadn't spoken since our heated encounter in the gym, but my body ached to be touched and held by him again, and my lips still tingled from where his had moved against mine.

I could tell he was gauging my expression as we made eye contact as the jet took off. Our eye contact didn't go unnoticed by Eddie or Jill and so I quickly looked away and asked Eddie how Lissa and Christians' wedding preparations had been going, of course I knew what had been going on, I had been checking up on Lissa a lot.

And so as we travelled fifty thousand feet in the air, I considered everything that was going to change when we returned to Court, not just between Dimitri and me, but for Jill and Lissa and the Queen, and our society as a whole. And I somehow seemed to be in the middle of the whole thing.

I rested my head against the headrest as I fiddled with the charmed ring that still adorned my finger and tried to think of anything but what was waiting to be faced back at Court.

 **There we have Chapter 17! They finally had their first proper kiss! I'm sorry if some of you still think that it's too soon, but it's been 17 chapters after all and I really thought it was time, although the sexual tension isn't over yet, as they're certainly not in a relationship again yet, there will still be bumps in the road. Thank you so much to everyone who has favourited, followed and reviewed this story, I appreciate every single one of you so much. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you thought as I love reading your reviews! Thanks again.**


	18. Chapter 18

I drifted in and out of Lissa's mind throughout the plane journey home, I was distantly aware of my surroundings, everyone pretty much stayed away when they saw me looking through Lissa's eyes.

Lissa was just waking up when I first saw through her eyes, she had no idea that we were coming home today, and I decided to keep it a secret so I could surprise her. I delved a little deeper into her mind and saw that she had very little planned for today, which worked out well for me.

I felt my body jerk in my seat and suddenly blinked and glanced around the plane. No one looked worried.

"What happened?" I asked, rubbing my eyes groggily, my eyes instinctively shooting to Jill and then Dimitri.

A small smile graced Dimitri's face before he answered me. "Nothing, just a little turbulence. How's Lissa?" He asked.

"She's fine, I didn't tell her we would be coming back today, and I wanted to surprise her." I told him and everyone else when they joined the conversation.

I glanced at Dimitri for a moment longer before gazing out of the window. I could see nothing but grey clouds. My lips still tingled and my body still trembled from where his hands and lips had held me and worshipped me.

I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I needed Dimitri more than I needed the air that I breathed, and yet I couldn't bring myself to forgive him fully just yet; he had ruined me after all. I certainly wouldn't be forgiving him until he sorted things out with Tasha.

Jill had a barrel of questions about Court which she seemed to be assaulting Dimitri and Eddie with, so I decided to join them with filling her in on all that she needed to know.

"So what am I actually needed for?" She asked, her jade green eyes finally meeting mine. I found myself once again shocked by the similarity of them with Lissa's eyes.

"I think it would be easier if we explain once we're there. It'll make a lot more sense when the proper people are talking to you." I said as kindly as I could, I purposely didn't tell her that the 'proper people' I was talking about was the Queen herself.

Wow, Jill really did ramble. I pretty much had to explain the whole route from guest housing where she would be staying to my house, in case she needed to know.

It was then that I remembered that Dimitri was still supposed to be staying with Tasha in guest housing, the thought ran my blood cold. Surely he would tell her that he couldn't stay there anymore?

Before I could think too much about it, we had an announcement over the speaker that we would be landing soon and to fasten our seatbelts once more.

We landed smoothly and were soon off the jet. Hans was waiting for us as we departed the aircraft.

He gripped my hand and patted me on the back, as close to a physical embrace as I had ever gotten off him. "Thank you Hathaway, you did really well." He said before shaking Dimitri's hand.

I introduced Guardian Croft to Jill, the latter a little more awkward than the former.

Hans had just asked the Guardians who accompanied us to escort Jill to her room in guest housing, when I stepped in.

"I'll walk her over if you'd like. I can show her around a bit on the way." The guardians looked relieved to hear that, not because they didn't like Jill, just simply because they must be tired. In truth, I was too, but I just had to know that she got to her room okay.

Hans agreed and soon departed with the Guardians, Eddie soon left on a hunt for food, leaving Dimitri, Jill and I.

I was about to take Jill's arm and direct her towards Guest housing, when Dimitri cleared his throat and interrupted me. "I'm sorry, but could I speak to you for a minute Rose? It won't take long." He assured. I looked helplessly at Jill, but she only nodded encouragingly at me. Clearly she wasn't going to help me.

"Sure. We'll just be over there Jill; I'll be back in a second." I told her before following Dimitri a few feet away; far enough that we had some privacy but not so far that we couldn't still see Jill.

"What's up?" I asked when he finally stopped walking and turned to face me. His face was serious and thoughtful.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to talk to Tasha." The sound of her name sent a jolt of anger through me, which was ridiculous. Although she was a bit of a bitch, I knew it wasn't entirely her fault for what happened over the past four years.

"What's your point?" I asked a bit _too_ bitterly. I didn't mean to sound quite as cold as I did. I saw him physically flinch at the tone in my voice and almost felt guilty.

"I mean I'm going to talk to her and clear the air, tell her that there is nothing and will never be anything between me and her. I'll also tell her I won't be staying with her anymore. I plan on talking to Hans and asking if I can have a permanent position here at Court, if that's okay with you." He said hopefully.

"What, now I actually get a choice in what happens?" I said, rolling my eyes, adding sarcasm into my voice to hide the fact that I was actually being serious.

"Roza." He said while brushing his hand against mine. "You can't possibly know how sorry I am for all of that, but I plan on doing everything in my power to make it up to you." He declared.

I sighed deeply. "Alright, good luck, I'll see you later." I said while brushing past him and linking my arm with Jill's.

As the two of us walked through court, I pointed out all the popular places around here. I showed her where all the shops and restaurants were, I showed her the general direction of mine and Lissa's house, and we could also see the Queen's palace from part of our walk. Jill seemed overwhelmed by a lot of it, but took in her surroundings with bright eyes.

And then we were at Guest housing, I took the key Hans had given me and unlocked Jill's door for her. The room was nicer than the one I had had years ago before we went to Lehigh, I suppose being Moroi Jill would be given one of the nicer rooms.

I made sure that she was ok and that she didn't need anything before departing, we agreed we would meet up later and I was on my way.

I sent my thanks to Vlad that I didn't bump into Tasha _or_ Dimitri on my way home.

I dumped my bags at home before crossing the front lawn to reach Lissa's house.

A quick check through the bond told me that she, Christian and Adrian were all sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast, and so I unlocked the front door with my key and crept in to surprise them.

I took a deep breath and leapt from my spot behind the door so I was fully revealed in front of them all, I stood with my arms lifted high.

They all startled at my sudden appearance but Lissa was soon sprinting across the room and tackling me in a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh my God, Rose! When did you get back?!" She half sobbed into my hair.

I chuckled before replying, struggling to breathe past her arms around my waist. "Literally just now, I just walked Jill to guest housing then came straight here." I said as she finally released me from her embrace.

Adrian pulled me into a hug next. "Wait, Jailbait is here?" He asked as I was then tugged into Christian's awaiting arms, much to my surprise.

"Yeah, that's kind of why I went." I said, forgetting that I hadn't mentioned the whole reason why I had to go to the Academy before I left. "The Queen wanted to see her for something." I said before explaining the whole story of how Dimitri and I had to go to the Academy only to find that Jill had been taken by Strigoi, and how we then had to go and rescue her. I of course didn't tell them _why_ the Queen wanted to see Jill; I just explained that I didn't know why. We spent the rest of the morning catching up and filling each other in on what had happened in the few short days I had been gone.

 **Dimitri's Point of View.**

I watched Rose walk off with her arm linked with Jillian's and knew that I was in big trouble. My mind wandered back to the kiss we shared back at the Academy and it took all my strength not to run after her and take her into my arms and never let her go. But I knew she needed time, there was no way she could forgive me straight away, and I would never expect her to.

And I had some things to sort out; it was time to talk to Tasha.

I found myself going over everything I should say as I walked through Court on my way to guest housing,

I took a deep breath before knocking on the door to the suite that Tasha and I shared. I had no idea why I was knocking, it just didn't feel right to walk straight in.

Tasha opened the door and a look of shock passed over her face before she smiled. She gripped me by the collar of my shirt and pulled me in to an awkward embrace. My whole body tensed up as I forced my arms to go around her waist. It felt wrong, so very wrong to have a woman in my arms who wasn't Roza.

"Dimka, you're back!" She exclaimed when she pulled away, she tried planting a kiss on my cheek, but I pulled my face away just in time.

Suddenly every word I had planned to say vanished from my head. What was I going to say?

"What happened at the Academy?" She asked. And so I gave her a brief explanation of the events, I told her we brought Jill back with us but we didn't know why, and I of course didn't tell her about everything that happened with Roza.

"Well, it's great to have you back Dimka. Why don't you unpack your bag?" She suggested.

"Actually, there's really no point in my unpacking." I said nervously.

Her face dropped and I saw the disappointment flare up in her eyes. "What are you talking about?" She asked.

"I'm going to ask Hans for a permanent position at Court, I just feel like this is where I need to be, and maybe I could be one of Jill's Guardians." I said hopefully as I tried to shove down the guilt that was threatening to gnaw at me.

"You want to stay here? Even after I let you be my guardian for all these years when no one else would have you?" She said with an accusatory tone in her voice. I knew Tasha could be spiteful, but I had never personally been the recipient of it.

"I am grateful, Tasha, more than you can know. But I really think there's more for me here." I said slowly, gauging her expression.

I thought I saw anger come alive in her eyes but it was gone within the blink of an eye, and replaced with a smile that was too enthusiastic to be real. "It'll be great for you Dimka, you're too talented to be wasted on me anyway. Anyway, I'm meeting up with a friend so I must dash, perhaps we could arrange to have Dinner with Lissa, Christian and everyone else tonight." She said, to which I agreed, anything if it meant I could see Roza.

Even the thought of her made my whole body ignite with fire, I wonder if she had any idea of the impact she had on me. Simply thinking about her made me come alive.

I knew that it was entirely possible that Rose would never forgive me for what I did, and if that was the case then maybe one day I could come to terms with the fact that she can never love me again, God knows that I'm not worthy of her love.

But after that kiss, damn me that kiss, I had no idea what she wanted. But whatever it is she wanted, I would do everything in my power to give it to her.

I spent the rest of the day in the gym working out, doing everything to keep my mind off Roza, I wanted to spend every second of every day with her, but I knew she would want space to be with her friends again, I knew she had missed them even if she hadn't admitted so.

I had showered and dressed in the suite before Tasha returned from wherever it is that she had been, to avoid any awkward conversation, and I simply read my book while she finished getting ready.

We walked over to the restaurant together at a respectable distance, where we would be meeting everyone else. Tasha hadn't specified _who_ would be coming to dinner with us, but I only hoped that Roza would be coming and wouldn't have to work or simply refuse to come with us.

But when we walked into the restaurant and I saw Roza standing by the bar in a shimmering golden dress, I felt every ounce of self control I had built up throughout the day slip through my fingers.

She hadn't seen us walk in yet, so I could openly admire her pure beauty without having her see me.

Her hair fell in loose waves down to her shoulders, and I still couldn't quite adjust to the image of her with short hair.

My eyes continued their journey to admire the dress she was wearing and the way the silk slid over her body, her strong legs were crossed at the ankle as she laughed at something the bartender had said. That laugh was music to my ears.

She finally turned with a tray of drinks in her hand, her eyes automatically met mine from across the room and I felt that chord between us go taut. It was only me and her in the room for a moment before her eyes flickered to Tasha and a look I couldn't quite name flashed in her eyes, disappointment? Jealousy?

She gave Tasha and I a polite smile before inclining her head towards a table in the corner of the bustling restaurant where Vasilisa, Christian, Adrian, Eddie and Jillian were sitting.

I swore to myself then that I would speak to Roza tonight and explain everything.

 **There we have chapter 18! I just want to apologise for how long it took me to update, I have been insanely busy recently and have had very little time to write or even think about writing. I'm also sorry that this chapter isn't very long or overly exciting, I really just wanted to update so you knew I hadn't given up on the story. Things will certainly be getting more exciting soon, although I'm not entirely sure what direction the story is going in yet as I haven't had lots of time to think about it, so if anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them! Thank you so much for all of your support and for following, favouriting and reviewing this story, I appreciate every single one of you. Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you like it!**


	19. Chapter 19

I should have known I'd regret going to this dinner. All I wanted to do was spend time with my friends; I didn't mind that Jill was here, in fact, her company was refreshing. I didn't even mind that Dimitri was here, his company was bearable and he mostly kept himself to himself anyway, if it weren't for the heated looks we kept sharing. But no, it was Tasha that was giving me problems tonight. I didn't know if something had happened between Dimitri and her, but they arrived together so I seriously couldn't figure it out. I could just see her scrutinising me the whole evening, and even though I didn't give a shit what she thought about me, I found myself becoming uncomfortable under her steely gaze.

Conversation mostly flowed smoothly, but I found myself observing the others more than actually joining in myself. I noticed the way Eddie and Jill leaned closer to each other when they spoke, in a whole world of their own. I felt some kind of weight being slightly lifted off my shoulders as I watched them, I had always worried about Eddie, after the death of Mason, Eddie and I had unknowingly watched over each other ever since.

And although Adrian kept trying to include me in the conversation, he gave up once we'd finished our meal and he'd finished the last of his fourth drink. His eyes followed the waitress wherever she went.

My own eyes kept wondering back to Dimitri, and whenever they did, I found him watching me closely. I hated myself for blushing under his heated gaze.

And suddenly I blinked and was seeing through the eyes of my best friend.

Lissa and I had really had very little chance to speak since we had arrived, which is why I was so shocked to find myself looking at my own body through her eyes, rather than anything else.

I was only ever really pulled into her head when Lissa was feeling incredibly strong emotions, and now that emotion was shock and pure realisation as she looked at me.

And now I could see why.

As Dimitri and I gazed at each other, Lissa let her spirit power flow through her body and suddenly the aura of everyone in the room faintly glowed around them.

It was hard to focus on anyone else's while Dimitri and mine wound together so beautifully.

There was still darkness in both of our auras, but there was a layer of pure gold that bound us together. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.

Before I knew it I was back in my own mind, I hastily blinked and looked away from Dimitri's gaze.

' _Rose, did you see that?'_ Lissa asked quietly through the bond.

My eyes met hers across the table and I nodded ever so slightly.

' _Why didn't you tell me?'_ She asked, I could feel her hurt thrumming through the bond.

I leant forward across the table at the same time she did. "Tell you what?" I asked quietly, hoping no one else could hear.

' _About you and Dimitri?!'_ She shrieked down the bond, and apologised a second later when she saw me flinch.

I gave her a confused look before she elaborated. ' _Your auras, I've never seen anything like it, it's almost like you have your own bond. Are you back together now?'_ She asked.

Stupid one way bond. I caught her eye across the room and shook my head, silently telling her that we would discuss it later. She looked disappointed for a moment before she brushed it off and got caught up in conversation with Christian and Tasha.

Soon the topic of the wedding was brought up, and bridesmaid dresses were discussed.

"Little Dhampir, you would look gorgeous in a fitted red dress, silk or velvet. Strapless and flowing down to the ground." Adrian purred from beside me.

I rolled my eyes. "You've spent way too much time thinking about this Adrian." I said.

Lissa laughed before breaking Adrian out of his daydreaming of me wearing whatever dress he had pictured in his mind. "Sorry to tell you Adrian, but the bridesmaid dresses will probably be green or maybe blue, mine or Chris' family colours. And I doubt the royals will allow it to be strapless, you know what they're like with traditions." She said while thinking about what her own dress would look like. She had started to worry that she'd never find the perfect dress, and soon the worry grew into full blown anxiety.

I sent a breath of calming air down the bond and pulled some of her worry into my own mind. "We'll search every dress shop in the world if that's what it takes to find your perfect dress, Liss." I told her.

I received a confused look from Jill before Eddie spoke to her; I assumed he was explaining about the bond. The others were used to us having one-way conversations even if it did annoy them.

I felt Lissa's worry diminish completely and knew that my job was done.

Adrian soon excused himself as the blonde waitress he had been keeping an eye on headed out of the back, and we didn't see him again for the rest of the evening.

Jill began to tire and Eddie, ever the gentleman, offered to walk her back to her place in guest housing.

Tasha also got up to leave soon after and Dimitri looked like he was torn for a moment before he also stood up to leave, and my heart dropped ever so slightly.

Of course he'd go back with her, they came together after all.

And before I knew it the bill was paid and Christian, Liss and I were walking back towards our houses. Lissa grilled me about Dimitri and I as soon as the Russian was out of earshot, and I reluctantly answered her hundreds of questions as we walked.

Christian only looked mildly interested. I would have been embarrassed talking about all of this in front of him once upon a time, but over the years he has heard a lot worse from me about Dimitri.

I said goodnight to Lissa and Christian outside their front door and I promised we would meet soon to make wedding arrangements.

When I finally sat on the couch in my living room, I had absolutely no idea what to do with myself.

A thrum of energy still flowed through my veins despite the late hour and I decided going for a run wouldn't hurt.

I slipped on a pair of running shorts and a tank top and changed into my running shoes and then I was out the door jogging around the outskirts of court.

Something was gnawing at the edge of my mind, but I couldn't figure out what it was that was bothering me.

There were very few people around at this time, and so I blocked out my surroundings and pushed my legs to run faster.

The night was silent apart from my feet pounding the earth and my even breaths leaving my lungs.

That is, until I heard what sounded like wheels rolling along a path.

I was hidden behind a line of trees near to guest housing when I saw Dimitri walking, pulling a suitcase behind him.

An idea popped into my head and I was stalking up behind him before I could think about it for too long.

I was barely a step behind him when I leapt.

I was clinging to his back for only a second before he twisted and took me down to the ground.

He had my arms pinned above my head and was smirking down at me. "No stake?" I asked breathlessly.

His smile brightened as he studied my face. "I didn't need my stake, I knew it was you."

I found myself smiling back as his grip loosened on my wrists, but he still held them in place. "How?" I asked. We were so close to each other, our bodies were pressed closely together, he was like a warm wall of hard muscle.

"A few things. Your scent and my body somehow just knew it was yours." He said as the grip he held on my wrists turned into more of a caress.

"Why do you have a suitcase?" I finally asked, the change in conversation causing him to finally stand up, he pulled me up with him effortlessly.

"Well, I told Tasha I couldn't stay with her anymore." He admitted.

"And she kicked you out?!" I asked incredulously.

"No, not at all. She seemed kind of sad to see me go. But I insisted that it was best if I left now. I just couldn't stay with her, Rose." He said, he looked like it was a relief just to say the words.

"So, where are you staying?" I asked slowly, knowing the answer but asking anyway.

"Umm." He hesitated. "I don't really know." He admitted reluctantly.

"What, you don't have anywhere to go?" I asked.

"Not really." He said with a sigh.

I rolled my eyes dramatically before picking up his duffel bag before I started walking.

I heard him start walking, pulling his suitcase behind him, before his long strides caught him up and he matched his pace with mine. "What's happening?" He asked.

"You're coming back to mine, _obviously."_ I said with another dramatic roll of my eyes.

"Really?" He asked. "You really don't have to do this; I'll find somewhere else to stay."

"No, you won't. And I won't have you wondering around all night." I said as we kept walking. My house was in sight.

"Fine, as long as you're sure. Thank you." He said politely as we walked up the steps of the porch and I unlocked the door.

Although he had been in my house once before, he still surveyed the surroundings as if it was the first time here, he looked at every detail. As we walked through to the living room, he stopped and admired a framed photo of Lissa and I that I had, it was us on our graduation day.

"I almost forgot you went to Lehigh." He mumbled as he put the photo back down and turned to face me.

I laughed humourlessly. "I didn't, it was a pain in the arse." I admitted.

"Really?" He asked.

"Sure, whenever I wasn't in class, I was guarding. The college life certainly wasn't what I was hoping it would be." I said. "I mean sure I just copied Lissa during the exams through the bond, but it wasn't all partying and getting drunk like I imagined it to be." I admitted.

"I wish I could have seen you graduate." He whispered, his eyes unwavering as they gazed into mine, there was so much emotion in those bottomless eyes. "I've missed so much of your life." He said as he took a step closer, there was barely a breath of space between us now.

I didn't say anything; I didn't know what I _could_ say. I almost shied away from his gaze but his hand lifted and held my chin in place so I couldn't hide away.

"Don't try and deny it. I've always known you were an incredible woman, even back at the Academy, but now, you're indescribable. You are absolutely mesmerising, Roza."

I didn't know why, but his words brought a tear to my eye. It took a lot to make me cry, but something about the way he spoke the words touched something deep within me. Something I hadn't let myself feel in a very long time.

His thumb lifted and brushed away an escaped tear and he pulled me to him.

I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist as his arms encircled me safely against his body.

I let out a breath but it came out as a sob. I felt empty. Empty and broken and all because of the impossible man that was currently cradling me against his body. How could I love him and hate him so much at the same time? I had never felt despair like it.

He ran his glorious fingers through my hair as he soothed me. "It's okay Roza. Everything's alright."

"You stupid, impossible man. Why weren't you there?" I sobbed.

"I'm so sorry, Roza. I will spend the rest of my life making up for the wasted time. I will never forgive myself for not being there." He spoke softly as he pressed a kiss to my head.

Before I knew it, I was crying like a baby. I was embarrassed, but there was no stopping now. They weren't tears of sadness, not anymore. They were tears from years of locked away anger and frustration.

"You stupid, stupid man. Why did you leave me? I never wanted anything but you. I would have done anything for you and you threw it away. You threw me away."

By now I was throwing my fists against his chest and stomach, but he still held me closely against him as I punched him. I just needed to let this out; I just needed to stop feeling whatever it was I was feeling, and he took everything I had to give him without so much as flinching.

Dimitri just apologised over and over again as I threw insult after insult at him.

I threw a last feeble punch at his chest, but there was no strength behind it, I had very little strength left at all.

He caught my fist in his strong hand and held it against his chest.

"I'm sorry." I finally croaked.

"Don't apologise." He mumbled his voice hoarse with emotion. "I deserve it all and more." He said as he looked down at me and brushed a tear soaked strand of hair behind my ear.

His face was so close to me, his eyes filled with such love and devotion. I knew I should have just grew a pair of balls and kissed him, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was embarrassed. Rose Hathaway had just broken down into tears, and all because of the man in front of me.

Instead of falling further into his arms like I wanted to, I instead stood up straight and untangled myself from his arms. I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry. That was unlike me." I said as I tucked my hair behind my ears and carried his bag up the stairs. I heard his feet fall softly behind my own.

"Don't apologise. Never apologise showing your emotions, Roza. You're allowed to feel." He said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

If only it were that easy to simply feel.

I had a spare bedroom next to my own that I had only entered once or twice since I'd moved in. I opened the door and put Dimitri's bag down on the double bed that took up the majority of the room.

There was a wardrobe in the corner of the room, which held a few of my old clothes that I hadn't had chance to wear in a while, the rest was pretty much bare.

There was a bedside table with a lamp on it, and other than that the room was empty.

"I haven't really had much time to decorate the spare room." I said as he followed me in and looked around.

"No, it's perfect. Much more than I was expecting. I would have been grateful with the couch. I'm still happy to sleep on the couch if you don't want me up here." He said. Of course he would be happy with the couch; he never expected anything from anyone.

"It's fine, really. I'm sure the room would appreciate being lived in." I said as I straightened out the bed, if only to keep my hands busy.

"Thank you, I'll be gone tomorrow." He said. I could tell he was embarrassed to be staying here and in my debt. But where the hell else did he have to go?

"Don't worry; stay as long as you want. I can't imagine you have many other places to go." I said, without really thinking what I was saying.

"You're right, I don't. Thank you, Roza. I really appreciate it. I'll get a place sorted as soon as I can. I promise I won't mooch off you." He assured me.

I laughed humourlessly. "I know you won't Dimitri, I know you're not a moocher. And it's not like you'll make a mess, I know you're ridiculously tidy. Besides, the house needs living in." I said while I headed towards the door.

I was halfway across the room when he caught my upper arm in his hand.

I flinched at the contact before he lightly trailed his hand down my arm until he was softly gripping my hand.

I watched him very, very closely as he ever so slowly lifted my hand and brought it to his lips.

His lips against my skin felt like heaven, and I craved the feel of them on other parts of my body.

"Thank you." He whispered against my skin, making it tingle all the way up to my chest and then down to the deepest parts of my stomach, where it began to ache.

"Goodnight." I said, my voice incredibly hoarse, before hastily pulling my hand away and crossing the hall to my own bedroom.

I didn't dare leave my room again that night, worried that I would bump into him and he would be shirtless and my self control would slip completely. Instead I settled down into my bed and tried desperately to make my mind switch off.

Instead I tossed and turned for hours, distracted by many things, but the main one being that Dimitri Belikov was currently sleeping in my house.

I finally fell into a deep slumber. And so I was incredibly pissed off when I was brutally yanked into a spirit dream with no way to escape.

 **There we have Chapter 19! I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter, It's so fun because I often don't know where the chapter is going until the words go onto the page, I don't really plan my writing, I just see where it goes, which probably isn't the best idea, as I often get stuck. I'm curious to see what you all think about Rose in this chapter, I like to make her seem like this emotionless and strong character, and so I don't really know what the inspiration for the breakdown was, but I also think it was important for her to let her emotions out in front of Dimitri, she's not invincible after all. But anyway, I'd love to hear what you thought about that, as I wasn't too sure. Thank you so much for all of your support and to everyone who has followed, favourited and reviewed. I actually can't believe I'm almost onto chapter 20 and not a lot has happened yet! I'm guessing this is going to be a long story, because I plan on writing the wedding into it at some point. Perhaps I could do a sequel of them on their honeymoon? Anyway, sorry for rambling. Please let me know what you think, as I often worry about if you like it or not. Thanks again for reading, I really hope you enjoy.**


	20. Chapter 20

I found myself in a room of pure darkness. I lifted my hand in front of my face and yet I still couldn't see it. And yet, this was a spirit dream, of course I wasn't alone. And I knew this wasn't one of Adrian's dreams, his were often set on luscious beaches or fancy restaurants. No, this was not going to be a friendly visit at all.

I sighed dramatically as I waited for my visitors to reveal themselves.

And then they appeared.

Victor Dashkov and Robert Doru. I was not surprised.

I rolled my eyes, over exaggerating. "Yes?" I asked impatiently.

Robert's face morphed into one of pure disgust as he looked me up and down. "Show some respect, you filthy swine."

I kept my face void of any emotions. "I will not show respect to those I do not have any for." I declared. Robert's face shifted into an expression of anger as he lifted his hands in my direction. I couldn't see anything, but I felt things moving around me. I began to fidget.

Victor put a calming hand on his brother's arm, and the spirit-wielding brother lowered his hands and I felt the things around me retreat. "You should really keep your dog on a leash." I said.

"Someone should keep you on a leash, Rosemarie. Perhaps that once-was-Strigoi should be the one to do it, seeing as you've been spending so much time with him. And from what I hear, you liked being locked up in places with him." Victor said with a smirk. A chill ran down my spine at his words, I hadn't thought about my time in Russia in a very long time, I tried to avoid it. But now the memories were flashing before my eyes. Was it all in my head or were they playing mind games with me? And more importantly, how did he know all these things?

I didn't say anything, best to let him put his cards on the table before I reveal mine. "Yes, I think a leash would do you good. After all that parading round St Vladimirs, saving the girl who could change everything." My blood ran cold, of course they would know about Jill being the long lost Dragomir, they seemed to know everything.

"It was you, wasn't it?" I asked as soon as everything dawned on me. The Strigoi who had taken Jill were talking about a master plan, and that the man in charge wanted her kept alive, I didn't know for certain, but it could very well have been Victor. When she described his voice, she spoke of an older man who was well spoken. "You kidnapped Jill from the Academy."

Victor's face was totally void with emotion, but I was sure I saw something flicker in those awful eyes of his, surely it wasn't pride? "I'm afraid I have no Idea what you're talking about, Rosemarie."

"You know, if you wanted to keep her locked in that house, you really should have had better security. I practically walked in the front door." My words didn't anger him like I wanted them to, instead he grinned, a massive shit-eating grin, like a kid on Christmas.

His horrible face said it all, he wanted me to get Jill out of there, he wanted me to bring her back to Court, he knew I would rescue her and bring her back with us. I had played right into his hands.

"You really are quite simply, Rosemarie. Do you think you killed all the Strigoi I had in my arsenal? I have an army. And I have a plan; I am just simply waiting for the right moment to strike." He declared.

"Why?" I asked.

"I want the crown, and I want the throne."

"You are delirious if you think you are ever going to get it. I'm telling you, what you're trying to do, it's impossible." I told him. Glancing from his and his brother who was still eyeing me up like I was a meal. He was savage.

"You disrespectful-

I was pulled out of the spirit dream by my phone ringing in my ear. I glanced at the time, it wasn't even 7 yet.

My mind was still reeling from the dream as I recognised the number that showed up on my phone, it was from the Guardians HQ.

"Hathaway." I said as a way of greeting whoever was holding the phone on the other side of Court.

"Hathaway, Her Majesty the Queen has requested that you escort Jillian Mastrano to her meeting room in the Palace within the hour." The Guardian on the phone explained, voice monotone with what I assumed was boredom.

"Right, thank you, I'll be there." I said before he hung up.

I sat up in bed for a moment and went over my conversation with Victor and Robert. I had kept all of this to myself for too long, this was becoming too big. I had to tell someone. I had to tell Hans and the Queen.

I rang Jill before I got out of bed, I was a lot friendlier than that Guardian was to me, and apologised profusely for the early hour, but told her if the Queen requested us, we had to go. She sounded tired but immediately perked up when she found out that the Queen wanted to see her. She started asking questions and I simply told her I'd see her in 45 minutes, now wasn't the time for questions.

I showered and dressed in my Guardians Uniform as quietly as I could after I remembered that Dimitri was still sleeping on the other side of the wall, I had almost forgotten about last night and my embarrassing breakdown.

I crept down the stairs, praying that they wouldn't creak. Instead I padded to the kitchen and got a mug down from the cupboard, and put two spoonfuls of coffee in it and filled the kettle without putting it to boil.

I rummaged through the drawers until I found a pad of paper and a pen and scrawled a note and left it beside the mug.

 _Sorry again about last night. Had somewhere to be, help yourself to food._

I was out of the door before I could think twice about the note.

Court was quiet at this time of the morning, mostly Guardians wondered around heading to or from their shift, I nodded in greeting at the majority of them on my way to Jill's room in Guest housing.

She opened the door as my knuckle hit the wood and I smiled at how prim and proper she looked, we could make a Princess out of her.

Her hair was tied up into a neat bun, and she was wearing a pale blue sweated with a skirt that brushed her knees. "Is this okay?" Was the first thing she asked, to which I assured her it was.

She asked me 79 questions on the way to the palace, most of which I couldn't even answer for her.

When we reached Her Majesty's personal meeting room, I positioned myself against the wall opposite the other Guardians, and nodded at Jill to knock herself. Her face filled with pure terror when she realised I wouldn't be joining her inside.

The Queen answered the door herself, and poked her head out into the hallway after she had politely greeted Jill.

When he eyes finally landed on me, she cocked her head to the side in a very unqueenly gesture, and indicated that I too, should enter the room.

The three of us sat down around the grand table once introductions were complete, and the Queen didn't waste any time in starting what she had invited us here to do. Which was basically to quiz Jill.

She asked how she was enjoying Court and what she thought of the system here, much like she had to Lissa when they had first met here. She even went so far as to ask Jill if she would have liked to be royal, if she was given the chance. Jill simply replied saying she hadn't thought much about it.

Jill was perfectly polite throughout the whole meeting, and sat with her back straight and her hands folded in her lap as she answered each and every one of the Queens questions without faltering.

The resemblance between her and my best friend seemed to grow the more I got to know the younger woman, and I could see the Queen picking up on the same things as I was.

My face ached from plastering the smile on my face for so long by the time we stood up to leave after the Queen politely ended her onslaught of questions.

And I knew now had to be the time where I would speak to the Queen about everything that had happened. When we reached the hallway I caught the eye of one of the Guardians standing outside, the only one I knew by name. "Guardian Wilkin, would you mind escorting Jillian back to her residence in Guest housing, or anywhere else she might wish to go?" I asked without glancing at the Queen for her permission. I knew I didn't have the power or the authority to ask such a thing of one of her personal Guardians, but this was important, and I think she herself knew I wouldn't do so unless it was urgent, and so when the Guardian looked to her for permission, she only nodded her consent.

"Thank you." I said to the Guardian when he gestured for Jill to walk with him.

Jill sent a pleading look my way to which I replied with an apologetic look of my own. "We'll catch up later." I promised as she turned the corner out of sight.

I turned to face the Queen who was watching me expectantly. "Your Majesty, do you mind if we have a word?" I asked as I indicated back into the room we had just come from.

"Of course." She said as we headed back in. "I will assume that this is important." She said, we didn't sit down this time, instead I shifted my weight awkwardly from one foot to the other, and the movement didn't go unnoticed.

"Yes, very much so. In fact I think we might need to call Guardian Croft in, if you think that's appropriate." I told her.

"Let me hear what you have to say and then we can decide." She replied. We no longer forced smiles onto our faces like we did when Jill was here.

"Victor Dashkov and Robert Doru have been contacting me using Spirit, and I believe there are things you need to know." I declared.

After I told her a quick version of the story of what had been happening these past few weeks, she decided to call Hans in, and he was here within minutes.

He was surprised to see me there to say the least.

And then I explained the whole story. How the brothers were the ones responsible for kidnapping Jill from the Academy, and that The Queen was in danger because Victor wanted the throne so badly.

Hans was surprised by the revelations, but it turned out that the Queen had already assumed Victor was the one to take Jill, just like she knew she was in imminent danger.

"So what do we do about it?" I asked. "Victor will strike, and we need to be ready when he does."

Hans was the first to speak. "The Court could not be better protected if we tried, the wards are constantly checked and the place is full of Guardians, they will struggle to get in here."

"Remember that they have Spirit on their side, they can compulse people, they could simply ask a Guardian to let them in through the front door and they'd do it without a second thought." I said.

"What do you propose, Hathaway?" The Queen asked.

"I'm not sure. Dashkov told me he has an army of Strigoi, and I'm sure he wasn't lying. We can't just wait for them to attack." I said.

"No, we can't. But we also can't send Guardians out to find them; it would be a waste of time and Guardians energy. We have no idea where they are." Hans replied.

"You're right. But they can't be too far from here. Spirit users struggle to hold dreams for long when they're far away from the person, they must be close, and that's worrying."

"It sounds to me like we're in a tough situation." The Queen said. I wanted to roll my eyes at her stating the obvious.

"If I could find out where they are hiding, where this army of theirs is, would that help? Could we attack then?" I asked, looking to both Hans and The Queen for confirmation.

"I'm not saying we could attack, but finding out where they are hiding would definitely help." Hans said, to which the Queen agreed.

It could take me months to just find out where they are based, it could be too late by then, but it was worth a shot.

I knew this wasn't going to be easy, especially keeping it to myself, working, and planning Lissa's wedding all at once. But I couldn't do nothing, I had to try.

Once I told Hans and Tatiana everything I knew, Hans and I were quickly dismissed.

We were walking out of the building side by side when the Head Guardian spoke. "I don't condone you keeping all of this to yourself for so long, you know. Nor do I like the fact that you have to find out where they are hiding on your own. But I think you're the best Guardian we've got for the job." He said as we got to the point where we would part ways.

He shook my hand and was soon walking off in the other direction. Hans and I hadn't gotten off on the best foot, but I think I had grown on him over the years.

When I let myself in through the front door of my house, I found Dimitri standing in the kitchen drinking coffee from the mug I had left out, the note placed in front of him.

He looked up when I walked in and frowned at my attire, the Guardians uniform.

"I didn't realise you were on duty this morning." He said as he ran his eyes from my head to toe, I tried to ignore the blaze of fire that awoke where his eyes were.

"I wasn't." I said as a way of answer, not feeling like elaborating.

I got my own cup down from the cupboard and made myself a coffee with a splash of milk and several sugars. "Did you find anything for breakfast?" I asked before taking a sip of the coffee.

"No." He said. "You have barely any food." He stated.

I rolled my eyes. "I told you, I'm never really here for very long." I explained.

"So when do you eat?" He asked.

"At Lissa's, or I just pick something up on my way to work." I told him, not really knowing why this conversation needed to be had.

"That's not healthy, Roza." He said as if he was my mentor again.

"I think I'm quite healthy, thanks." I replied without missing a beat.

"You've lost weight." He countered.

"Isn't that a good thing?" I asked.

"No." He replied as I sipped the last of my coffee. "Let me cook you dinner tonight, here. As a way of saying thank you for letting me stay."

I was about to decline his offer without even debating it, he didn't need to thank me, and with everything going on, was this really the best time to be spending a night in when I could be doing so many more important things? But then I thought about his cooking, and then I thought about watching him cooking for me in my kitchen, and guiltily thought it might be fun.

"You don't need to thank me, but fine, why not." I said, and watched his face morph from an expression of worry to one of pure joy.

"Great, I'll go shopping later and get the supplies." He said as he washed up his mug and then did the same to mine.

"What are you going to cook?" I asked, curious.

He smiled over his shoulder at me. "Surprise." He simply stated.

Was this a date? I hadn't thought about it when he asked, but what if he thought it was a date? Would I be ok with that or not?

I felt Lissa stir away through the bond and decided this was a dilemma she would probably love to help me solve. We hadn't spent much time alone together recently, and I knew that my boy-troubles would probably delight her, and so I told Dimitri I'd be next door and went to get my best friends help for a potential date tonight. It was just like we were back at St Vlads.

 **There we have Chapter 20! Thank you so much to everyone who has followed, favourited, and reviewed this story, I can't believe that I reached 300 reviews, I'm over the moon! Please let me know what you thought about this chapter, I can't wait to write their potential date night, I think it'll be fun! Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you liked it, let me know what you think! Thanks again!**


	21. Chapter 21

I changed into jeans and a plain black top before I went over to Lissa's, something more comfortable and casual than my Guardians outfit.

"What time do you want me back for dinner?" I asked Dimitri as I slipped my stake into the waistband of my jeans and put my phone in my pocket. I was very careful not to call tonight a date, simply dinner.

He looked up at me from where he was putting his wallet in his pocket. "About 5ish?" He asked.

I nodded as we headed towards the door; he was going food shopping while I was at Lissa's.

"Sure, thanks Comrade. See you later." I said as I locked the front door and gave Dimitri the spare key, he would be back before me and would need it to get in.

I saw the smile spread across his face as I used my old nickname for him again.

I didn't look back as I crossed the lawn to get to Lissa's front door, but I could feel his gaze burning into my back.

I had spoken to Lissa on the phone this morning before I came so she was expecting me, and she had kicked Christian out so we could spend some girl time together.

I had also followed her very specific orders and brought a bag full of clothes and makeup.

After a quick glance through the bond, I saw that Lissa was waiting in the living room for me, and so I let myself in through the front door.

"Hiyaaaaa." I shouted as I shut the door behind me.

"Come through!" Lissa replied as I slipped my shoes off and headed down the hall to the living room. She got up and hugged me as I entered the room and I dumped the bag on the couch.

She dropped her arms from around my shoulders and unzipped the bag before rifling through the bag muttering comments such as _good_ and _very nice_ , but words like _not sexy enough_ worried me and I stopped her.

"What the hell is all this stuff for?" I asked as I watched her pull dress after dress out of the bag.

"Your date with Dimitri of course!" She shrieked as she took my hands and started bouncing up and down on the sofa like an excited kid.

"Hey, he never said it was a date, and I didn't agree thinking it was a date. He's just thanking me for letting him stay at my house." I tried to convince her, although it wasn't working as well as I hoped.

"Of course, he's staying with you! How long for? You're not sharing a room are you? Did you eat breakfast together?" She asked, her words tumbling out of her mouth so quick I could hardly distinguish what she was saying. She seemed a far cry from the Royal Princess she was.

"One question at a time!" I joked. "I don't know how long he's staying for, he's sleeping in the spare room, and no we didn't eat breakfast together. Was that it?" I asked.

She ran through the answers in her head and seemed satisfied.

We spent most of the day catching up and gossiping just like we used to back at the Academy, we also made lunch, I had really missed spending time with Lissa, just the two of us, and I told her just as much.

"Oh Rose, I've missed you too." She said as she pulled me into another hug. "Now it's time to get you ready!" She exclaimed as she stood up and pulled my makeup out of the bag.

She sat down opposite me on the sofa and told me to close my eyes and stay still.

"Now, nothing too bold or bright, Liss, and I mean it. This isn't a date, just dinner between two people, I'm not even sure I could call us friends." I said, I realised half way through that I was rambling. I wasn't sure if I was trying to convince her or myself.

"Oh shut up, it'll look great." She said as she got to work on my face.

I felt her apply foundation and powder, as well as a little bit of contour to my face, and then moved onto eyeliner and eye shadow for my eyes, before finishing off the look with a lipstick of her choice. I hadn't seen anything she was putting on my face, and so I only hoped it looked ok and she hadn't gone too wild.

"Perfect!" She said as she put the makeup away and admired her work.

"Can I see now?" I asked.

"Nope! Not until the look is finished." She declared as she moved onto my hair. "I still can't believe you cut all of your lovely hair off." She said as she ran a brush through my hair.

"You know why I did that, and said you liked it at the time." I said as I turned to look at her. She simply faced me forward again.

"I know why you did it, and it always looks lovely. But it is getting longer again, are you growing it out?" She asked. I wondered if she was insinuating that I was growing it out again now that Dimitri was back.

"Not really, I just haven't gotten around to having it cut recently." I said dismissively as she ran her fingers through my hair and pulled half of it up into a bun on the top of my head, leaving the other half down.

Once she was finished she moved on to the dresses that were laid out across the room.

"Hmm, this one would go with your hair and lipstick, but this one fits better. Oh but this one! This one is perfect! You haven't worn this one in a while have you?" She asked as she held up the black dress for me to see. And then my heart stopped completely. And then it started again at a rapid speed.

That was the dress. The dress from all the way back at the Academy. I didn't realise I still had it. I could have sworn I threw it away before we moved to Court.

"No way. I can't wear that." I said.

"And why not?" She asked as she put her hands on her hips, she looked a lot like me when she did that.

I racked my brain for a reasonable excuse. "I haven't worn it in years, it won't fit. And it's way too formal for dinner between friends. If you could even call us that." I said finally.

"Oh come on Rose, live a little!" She exclaimed.

"No way, Liss. I'm sorry, I just can't." I said finally, almost disappointed in myself.

Her face fell for a moment before she moved onto another dress that she liked almost as much.

It was burgundy in colour and was tightly fitted around the waist and chest, but flowed out slightly by my hips down to just above my knees. It was graceful and elegant, it would do.

Once the dress was on and I slipped my strappy flat shoes on, I was ready to go and I was finally allowed to look in the mirror.

I had to do a double take. I barely recognised myself.

I hadn't made a real effort with my looks in a very long time. Sure I dressed up from time to time, but I hadn't been pampered by my best friend in a long time.

My hair was casual and yet it looked like I had made a bit of an effort with it. My makeup was dark and kind of sexy. And the dress just finished the whole look off. I still felt too dressed up for the dinner tonight, but there's no way Lissa would let me change now.

I gave Lissa and hug and thanked her profusely for making me feel girly again before picking up my bag and crossing the lawn to get to my house.

Oh my God, do I knock on the door or just walk in?

I knew Dimitri was in there already, but surely I don't knock if it's my own house?

I decided I was being stupid and took a shaking breath before walking straight through the door. I dropped my bag by the front door and walked into the kitchen.

The sight I saw before me was one I hoped I would never forget.

The dining table was set for two, a vase of flowers were in the centre with a bunch of candles lit.

And then there was Dimitri.

He was dressed in black pants and a black tight-fitting shirt done up to his chest so the edges of his collarbones were peeking through.

He was facing away from me stirring something in a pan on the stove.

Soft music was playing in the background and his hips shifted slightly along with the music. I smiled at the sight.

I realised he still didn't know I was there, and so I leant against the doorframe and cleared my throat. His head snapped up and he turned to face me at the sound.

His jaw _actually_ dropped when he saw me.

I felt almost uncomfortable as his pupils dilated and his heated gaze ran over every inch of my body.

He took a few steps towards me and stopped just in front of me. The crisp scent of his aftershave hit me like a wave and I had to hold back the sigh that wanted to escape.

"You are... you look... Wow." He said finally.

"At a loss for words, Belikov?" I asked jokingly as I stood up straight, his eyes followed my every movement.

"You have no idea." He almost whispered.

I brushed past him and went further into the kitchen, I had to stop myself from running into his arms when our arms brushed against each other and my skin tingled at the contact.

I picked up the spoon in the pan and stirred, sniffing. "What's for dinner?" I asked.

It looked like pasta filled with something meaty in sauce. Dimitri came up behind me and took my hand off the spoon and instead held it in his. "It's a surprise. And no touching before it's done. You're dangerous in a kitchen." He said, I could hear the smile in his voice even if I couldn't see his face.

He spun me to face it and held my hand in his for a moment before he placed it on his chest and then twirled a strand of my hair around his finger.

"You're so beautiful, it hurts me sometimes." He said, his voice hoarse.

"I suppose you brush up pretty well too, Comrade." I replied. His smile lit up the room.

"That's twice in one day you've called me that, I must be in your good books." He said as he lowered his arms and carefully, slowly, slipped them around my waist.

"Don't push your luck." I said mockingly as I joined my hands behind his neck, twirling my fingers in the soft strands of his hair that he had left loose.

Before I knew what was happening, we were swaying in time with the music and he was twirling me round the room.

I was smiling without even trying.

As the song came to an end, he dipped me low and close to the floor.

If it were anyone else, I would probably worry that they would drop me. But Dimitir's arms were so strong and secure around me, I knew he could never drop me. We had sparred together for years after all, I knew his body almost as well as I knew my own.

He held me there, suspended just above the ground for a moment as his eyes scanned my face and I laughed. It was exhilarating, I felt alive.

He lowered his face so it was inches from mine before he pressed his lips gently against my cheek, just beside my mouth. The stubble of his cheek brushed against my lips.

I was breathing heavily by the time he pulled away and looked at me again.

And then a timer dinged and I was standing firmly on my own two feet again.

I felt cold where his hands had just been firmly gripping my waist.

He stirred whatever it was in the pan for a moment longer until before he turned to face me with a bottle of wine in his hand.

He raised it in his hand and quirked an eyebrow in a silent question.

I got two glasses down from the cupboard as a way of answer and watched his strong hands as they poured us both a large glass of wine.

He lifted his glass to mine and looked like he was thinking for a moment before the glasses clinked together. "To new beginnings." He said.

I was about to take a sip of the wine when I stopped myself. "What about us?" I asked. It seemed more appropriate.

His answering smile told me I had said the right thing. "To us." He corrected, before we clinked our glasses together and we drank from the glasses.

"This will be done in a minute if you want to go and sit down?" He asked as he set the glass on the side and went back to the stove.

"Sure." I said as I took my glass and sat down at one of the settings at the table.

I let out a shaky breath and wondered what the hell I was doing.

We danced together for God's sake. Dimitri made me feel like the most incredible woman in the world and I had no idea what I was supposed to do about that.

Dimitri walked through carrying two plates of food, he set the first down in front of me, and I had to admit, it looked incredible. It was like squares of pasta filled with something in a delicious looking sauce with bread. "Wow." I said. "It looks incredible." I admitted honestly.

He set his own plate of food down before going and coming back with his own glass of wine and the bottle we had opened.

"It looks and smells great; will you tell me what it is now?" I asked as I topped up our wine glasses.

"It's a Russian dish called Pelmeni. Mama taught me how to cook it when I was younger. And the bread is rye bread, we eat that a lot back home too." He explained and watched me take my first bite, waiting for my opinion.

"Hmm." I moaned as the flavours filled my mouth. I saw his eyes widen slightly at the sound and couldn't stop the smirk that made its way onto my face.

"Does that mean you like it?" He asked as he forked a piece of the pasta onto his own fork.

"God, yes. It's incredible." I said as I took another bite and washed it down with more wine.

"Did Olena often teach you how to cook?" I asked curiously as I watched him eat.

A smile graced his face as he thought of his Mother and home town. "Yes, when I realised I was actually alright at it, I helped her cook most meals."

I took a bite of the bread and knew it was familiar. "I think I remember the bread from when I was in Russia." I said before I realised the topic I had brought up. I looked up, panicked, to gauge Dimitri's reaction.

His fork paused mid-way to his mouth for a moment as he froze before he recovered himself and took the bite. "I forget that you spent time there, with my family." He said. I couldn't work out how he was feeling by the tone of his voice, and his face was almost unreadable.

"It that... okay?" I asked hesitantly.

He looked up then, shocked. "Of course. I'm glad you met them, and I know they all loved you. I just wish it was under different circumstances." He said as he looked at me once more.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes. I wish I could have taken you there and introduced you to them properly. I always used to imagine taking you as my... as my girlfriend." He said finally, struggling to get the words out.

His words stopped me short. His girlfriend? I had never thought of him thinking of me as his girlfriend. I mean sure, he had taken my virginity all those years ago at the Academy, but I had never actually considered myself to be his girlfriend, there had always been something stopping us.

That is, until now.

Now all that was in our way was my crippling fear of commitment. I couldn't bear the thought of giving him enough power to hurt me again.

I downed the rest of my glass of wine before refilling it and topping Dimitri's up as well. I didn't say anything, which left us in silence for a few tense moments while we both ate.

"Anyway, where did you go so early this morning?" He asked politely, clearly trying to fill the awkward silence.

"I went with Jill to see the Queen." I said.

His head shot up in alarm as he looked up at me again. "How come?" He asked.

"The Queen wanted to meet her, asking her about Court and what it would be like to be a Royal, basically grooming her to be related to the next Queen." I said with a roll of my eyes.

"And how did that go?"

"I don't really know, Jill was nervous and the Queen was too pressurising. And I of course was caught in the middle, running ridiculous, life-endangering errands for Her Majesty while trying to be there for Jill at the same time." I said as I rested my head on my fist on the table as I realised how much responsibility was really being thrown on my shoulders recently.

He put his knife and fork down onto his plate and focussed all of his attention on me as my words finally sunk in. "What?" He asked, entirely serious now.

"What bit are you struggling to understand?" I said a bit more bitterly than I should have. He didn't even flinch at my words.

"You've been running life-endangering errands for the Queen?" He asked.

I thought about what to say for a few minutes. I wasn't going to tell him that I had to go and find Victor and Robert; I was just going to leave without having to explain.

"Well, going to get Jill was one of them. And just things have been happening, which she wants me to sort out." I said dismissively.

"Such as...?" He prompted.

"My dreams have been visited, several times, but Victor Dashkov, and his brother Robert Doru." I finally admitted to him. His face hardened with pure protective anger.

"How long have you been keeping this to yourself, Rose?" I knew he was angry because he didn't use my Russian name, although his anger wasn't directed at me.

"I don't know, it's happened a few times over the past few weeks." I told him.

"A few weeks?!" He exclaimed as his fists clenched atop the table.

I reached across the table and covered his large hand with my own smaller one. "It's okay." I tried reassuring him.

"No it's not, it's not okay. Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" I rolled my eyes before responding.

"I didn't think it was important." I said.

He laughed humourlessly. "Of course you didn't. She's not sending you on anymore life-endangering missions is she?" He asked in total seriousness.

I thought about my answer for a moment. I wasn't planning on telling him about leaving to find the brothers, but surely I couldn't outright lie to him? I knew he would insist on coming with me if I told him, and I really couldn't let him come with me, I couldn't put him in danger too.

"No." I lied. "She hasn't asked me to do anything else."

I felt my heart break just a little as I saw such a look of relief come over his features when he realised I wouldn't be leaving, I would be staying with him.

I wasn't even sure when I was leaving yet, there was no point worrying him about it now.

"Promise me something, Roza." He said as he held my hands in his, his calluses brushing against my own.

"Alright." I said hesitantly.

"Tell me, next time anything like that happens again. I want to help you; I want to be there for you. You shouldn't have to deal with these things on your own." He said as he brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it gently, slowly. "We're a team." He declared.

"Okay, I promise." I lied again. It was unsettling how easy it was for me to lie, but it was for his own good. I wouldn't endanger him. "Are we a team?" I asked carefully. I knew we definitely used to be a team, but so many things had changed since then.

"Of course we are. Always have been, always will be. It's us, Roza." He said before I rested my head in my hands as Dimitri cleared our plates off the table and went to get dessert.

Dimitri had been so good to me and now I was throwing it all back in his face. But it was for his own good, wasn't it?

I had once again gotten myself into a mess. I would tell him when I was leaving, I would tell him just before I left so he didn't have time to come with me and put himself in danger. I would find the brothers and we would take them out before any damage was caused. I could do this, this would work.

 **There we have Chapter 21! Don't hate me just yet, the date isn't over, it will carry onto the next chapter and maybe we'll get a Romitri kiss?! I'm really looking forward to Rose telling Dimitri that she's leaving to find the Brothers; Dimitri is literally going to tackle Rose to the ground to get her to stay, imagine the sexual tension! Anyway, thank you so much for reading, and for following, favouriting and reviewing the last chapter, I appreciate you all so much. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you think!**


	22. Chapter 22

By the time I looked at the clock on the wall, I realised Dimitri and I had been talking for hours. It was already midnight.

I hadn't realised how long we had been talking for, we had spoken about so much. I had gotten a few things off my chest without crying or screaming at him, which had to be progress.

Our hands were still clasped together in the middle of the table, but nothing further than that.

He was gently rubbing his thumb over my hand and I trailed my forefinger up and down the inside of his wrist, he squeezed my hand a little tighter whenever I reached a certain point on his wrist.

His eyes travelled along my face once more and I found myself doing the same to him.

"I still can't believe that dress, Roza, it's beautiful. You're beautiful." I felt heat creeping up my neck and to my cheeks and I couldn't suppress the blush.

I took another sip of my wine before speaking. "You should have seen the one Lissa almost made me wear." I said before I realised what I was saying. Shit, I shouldn't have brought _that_ dress up, the wine was most likely making my tongue looser than usual.

"What dress?" He asked carefully.

I took a while thinking about my answer, how did I answer him without making this awkward?

"We came across the dress from the Academy, the one from the Equinox dance. But I told her I couldn't wear it." When I said the words I saw the look of recognition pass over his face and the look of pure fire creep into his irises. I tried not to be too detailed in my description of the dress, but of course he would remember.

"I'm surprised you know which dress I'm talking about." I said honestly.

He looked at me as if I was stupid for a moment before smiling. "I could never forget. Why didn't you wear it?" He asked.

"Oh I'm sure it wouldn't fit anymore. And I don't know, I thought it would be weird." I admitted finally.

"Hmm." Was his only response, whatever that meant.

"Probably not the best idea to bring up something like that from the past." I elaborated.

"Why do you say that?" He asked.

I shrugged casually while considering my words. "I don't know. I just figured you regretted what happened that night, we weren't exactly in control after all." I said, stumbling over my words.

He gripped my hands a little tighter and leant forward, resting his elbows on the table, so we were closer than before when he spoke. "The only thing I regret about that night is that I couldn't take my time with you, and that I couldn't finish what we started." He said, his voice deep and hoarse, his Russian accent thicker than usual.

My breath hitched in my throat and suddenly the air became very hot and thick, my whole body heated at his words and I found myself leaning even further towards him so we were just inches apart.

"But we did finish what we started eventually, remember?" I asked, taunting him.

His mouth lifted up into a sly smile after he licked his lips. "I could never forget it. When I saw the cabin back at the Academy the other day, I wanted nothing more than to take you and..." A strangled kind of noise came out of his throat before he cut himself off, looking embarrassed. He took a deep breath and sat back in his chair, breaking the tension.

God, I wanted him.

I had known from the moment I first set eyes on Dimitri Belikov that I had wanted him, the need had run so deep in my veins it was often the only thing I could think of, and that was before I even knew him.

And sure, he hurt me, he broke me. But he's not a bad man. And now that I know him, and he's here, and he loves me, it was making me feel all these things that I had shoved away for so long.

"What's going to happen with us, Dimitri?" I asked finally after we had been silent for a few moments.

"I don't know Roza. I know what I want to happen, but after everything that happened, and after I messed up so bad, I don't know anymore." He said after thinking about it for a while, his voice was quiet and thoughtful, gone was the teasing.

"What do you want to happen with us?" I asked carefully while twirling a strand of hair through my fingers.

"I want us to be friends again, to be a team again. And maybe one day you'll be able to trust me and love me again. But I need you in my life, Roza. I need you to be happy, and if I don't make you happy anymore, then I'll go. I won't make this hard for you anymore." He declared, his voice full of pure honesty and his face showed the same.

And I knew then, that I could tell him to leave right now and he would if it's what I wanted.

I could see him gauging my reaction, and so I kept my face completely blank, trying not to give anything away.

For years he would hide behind his Guardian mask, it was time for a little payback.

"Is this a date, Comrade?" I asked ever so carefully.

"I'm not sure; it could be, if you want it to be?" He replied.

I thought about it for a while, he was really asking me if I wanted this to be a date. I knew I needed him in my life no matter what. And I guess this was the deciding moment as to what context it would be in.

I smiled at him. "Ok, this can be a date."

My reply seemed to put him at ease, his shoulders pretty much sagged in relief and he let out a breath.

We carried on talking for some time before I once again realised how late it was. I picked up our plates and carried them to the kitchen and began to fill the sink with hot soapy water.

I felt his presence enter the room before I felt his arms slip around my waist and his lips brush against my jaw. I couldn't have stopped my smile if I tried.

"Of course you could make washing dishes look glamorous." He said almost in awe as he trailed feather light kisses down my neck to my shoulder.

I dried my hands off on the nearby towel and turned in his arms so that I was facing him, he had a content smile on his face and his bottomless eyes were warm with affection. I slipped my arms around his neck.

"You're not going to make me dance again, are you?" I asked breathlessly.

He chuckled lightly before shaking his head and slowly bending his head so we were only inches apart. We shared the same breath but he didn't go any further, he was giving me the chance to pull away if I wanted to.

As if.

Instead I raised myself onto my tiptoes and pressed my lips against his.

It started out soft and gentle, as if he was being careful with me because he thought I might run away if he was too eager.

But that didn't last long when he realised I was staying, and I wanted this just as much as he did.

And then he nudged my lips open with his and slipped his tongue inside my mouth and I thought my blood might come alight.

Our tongues danced together as he tightened his grip around my waist and I ran my fingers through his soft hair.

He gripped my hips tightly and lifted me onto the kitchen counter. I automatically spread my knees apart so he could step between them.

I wrapped my legs around his hips and brought him closer; our bodies were touching at every point.

He trailed a hand up from my calf to my thigh and then gripped my hip under the skirt of my dress; he left a trail of fire in his path.

"Dimitri." I moaned against his lips as his nipped at my lower lip, which only caused my grip around him to tighten so he was pulled even closer against me. He didn't seem to mind at all.

His lips finally left mine, I was about to protest when he pressed his lips to the edge of my mouth, and then my cheek, and then my jaw, and then my neck, and down to my shoulder and then they followed the neckline of my dress, which plunged down rather low.

He breathed my name across my skin every time his lips met my skin and I couldn't get enough of him.

I needed to be closer to him.

I trailed my hands down from his neck, down his chest and past his muscle coated stomach until I reached where his shirt was tucked into his trousers and tugged.

I slipped my hands under his shirt until I ran then along the muscles of his stomach, I felt him tense beneath me as a low growl emitted from somewhere deep within him, this only encouraged me.

My hands found their way to his shoulders again where I found the skin of his neck and trailed my nails very lightly there; I began to unbutton the first few buttons of his shirt.

His hands were rubbing wonders into the bare skin of my hips and I found my hips moving of their own accord.

His hands trailed up my body once more until the rested just beneath my breasts, I leant back, hoping they would go further.

I placed my hands behind me to rest my weight when one my hand hands slipped in the soapy water.

Dimitri caught me before I could do any damage, but we both ended up laughing.

I placed a kiss to the tip of his nose before smearing his face with bubbles.

"Roza!" He exclaimed before laughing and taking a step away from me to wipe his face.

I felt instantly cold without him pressed up against me, but the moment had passed, and the kitchen counter probably wouldn't be the best place to do _that_ again, I had a feeling we'd need more room, it had been over four years after all.

I took Dimitri's hand when he offered to help me down from the counter, but released it in order to straighten out my skirt.

We cleaned up the kitchen and dining table in comfortable silence, but we kept stealing smiles and glances.

We walked up the stairs hand in hand, and I kissed him in the hallway when we reached our bedroom doors. "Thank you for tonight, Comrade. That might have been the best date I've ever been on." I told him with a smile.

I obviously didn't tell him that I had been on very few dates before, if at all.

"Really?" He asked incredulously. "The next one we go on will be even better, and it'll be a proper date, I'll take you out, if you would like that?" He asked once he realised he'd been rambling a bit.

I smiled and kissed him once more. "Yes, I'd like that." I told him before bidding him goodnight and slipping into my bedroom. The smile on his face warmed something deep inside me.

I could have easily taken Dimitri to my bed, but I didn't want to move to fast, I didn't want to ruin this, and we had to get to know each other again.

I fell asleep with a smile on my face that night.

 **-xXx-**

I packed my bag as soon as I woke up the following day; I knew if I left it any longer, I wouldn't want to go at all. I had to go before I lost my nerve.

It was difficult packing when I didn't know where I'd be going or how long for. But I packed practical things, clothes suitable for fighting and for any potential weather. My gun, bullets and a spare stake also went in the duffel bag. I also had the keys to an SUV that Hans had arranged for me to take with me; he had helped me make arrangements.

I hid the bag under my bed and showered and dressed before slipping out of the house and heading to Lissa's house to tell her I'd be leaving. I was glad I didn't bump into Dimitri, I wasn't sure I would be able to face him knowing I had lied straight to his face last night. I had told him that I would tell him next time I had to do something important for the Queen, but I just couldn't do it.

I told Lissa and Christian that I was going on an undercover mission to explore the potential threat outside the wards when they asked what I would be doing. Lissa, of course, worried instantly. I tried assuring her that it wasn't overly dangerous and I wouldn't be getting involved with the threat, simply watching from a distance and finding out their movements.

I also didn't mention that it was Victor Dashkov and his estranged brother that I would be looking for. I seemed to be lying more and more recently. But I told myself it was for their own good.

I assured Lissa that I would be back before she knows it when she began to get emotional. I knew it was hard for her to see me leaving all the time, especially so close to her wedding, but this was something I needed to do and she knew that.

I hugged them both goodbye and promised I would update them on things when I could. But the truth was that I had no idea what I would be walking into. Thankfully, they both assured me they would keep Jill company while I was gone, which I was grateful for. I loved Jill, and we had gradually become friends, but that meant there was another person for me to worry about.

There was still no sign of Dimitri when I went back home to get my bag. I had spent some time last night wondering where I should tell Dimitri I was going so that he would know I was ok and would also know that he couldn't come with me. And I decided I would leave him a note, not specifying where I would be going so he couldn't come after me.

I headed upstairs and the smell of shampoo and steam drifted towards me from the recently vacated bathroom, meaning Dimitri had just had a shower. I quickly grabbed my bag from under my bed and sat down to write the note.

 _Comrade,_

 _I'm sorry for leaving, but I was called away for something important. I think I'll be gone for a few days, so I'm sorry to just ditch you like this, especially after last night. But, you know, they come first. Make yourself at home and look after Lissa and everyone else for me._

 _See you soon, Roza. X_

It killed me to have to leave without seeing him one last time, but the memory of his lips still lingered on my skin and that would have to be enough.

I stuck the note to the wall at the top of the stairs so he couldn't miss it when he walked out of his room.

I crept down the stairs and slipped my shoes on. I had just slipped my stake into my pocket and gripped the doorknob in my hand when the top stair creaked and Dimitri spoke.

"Roza?" He asked.

I turned and saw him gripping the note tightly in his hand; he looked shocked to say the least.

Damn, he wasn't going to make this easy for me.

 **There we have Chapter 22! I'm really sorry for the delay, I had planned to update earlier than this but I've been at college and working and whenever I have been home I've been way too tired to even think about writing, but I finally got round to it and I really hope you enjoyed it! This chapter took me quite a while to write so I was kind of disappointed when I realised it wasn't as long as I had hoped it would be, but I hope it's ok anyway. I'm really looking forward to the next chapter, Dimitri certainly isn't going to let Roza go without a fight, there will be sparring and a lot of tension. Thank you so much for the reviews, follows and favourites for last chapter, I was honestly blown away. Thank you so much for reading, please let me know what you thought of this chapter as hearing from you literally makes my day! Thanks again.**


	23. Chapter 23

"Roza?" He asked.

I slowly turned, only to see him standing at the top of the stairs, the note I left him gripped in a clenched fist.

His eyes travelled down to the duffel bag in my hand and my practically-dressed-attire. "Where are you going?" He asked when I didn't say anything.

I checked my pockets, making sure I had everything, and opened the front door, preparing to leave, hoping this would be a short conversation.

"Here and there." I said vaguely. "I should only be gone a few days." I said as I opened the door further, preparing to walk through.

I heard his feet hit the stairs after my back was turned, and before I knew it his hand slammed down on the door, effectively slamming it shut.

I turned to face him, my casual smile now long gone. "What are you doing?" I asked, trying to stay cool.

"Where are you going?" He asked again, clearly my previous answer wasn't good enough for him.

"I'm not exactly sure yet, but I have a car and money, so I'll be fine. Make yourself at home." I said as I tried opening the door once more. His hand was still firmly holding it shut; he almost had me pressed against the door. I could feel the heat coming off him from here.

My lips and skin still tingled from where he had held me and touched me the night before.

"What is your mission?" He asked, automatically knowing it would be for work rather than my own personal agenda.

"I'm to locate Victor Dashkov and Robert Doru." I said simply, while trying my best to look confident and act as if his close proximity didn't bother me in any way.

"What? How the hell do you plan on doing that on your own?" He asked, his voice lowering slightly as he tried to maintain a grip on his anger.

"I have a plan." I told him simply, as I ducked under his arm and tugged at the door once more.

"Would you let go?" I demanded, my voice leaving no room for argument.

He thought about it for a moment as his eyes travelled over my form and landed on the bag I was holding. He removed his hand from the door, but as I went to open in, he snatched the bag from its grip in my hand.

He was standing behind me now, so I turned to face him. I held out my hand. "Give that back, right now." I demanded.

"I'm sorry, Roza. Please." He begged.

"You're being childish, Dimitri. Give me the bag so I can do my job."

"Let me come with you, you could use the extra pair of hands I'm sure. There will be no harm in me coming. If anything the job will be done quicker." He reasoned, his grip on my bag never faltering.

"I work better on my own on this type of mission, Comrade. I'll feel better if you're here looking out for Lissa, Jill and the others." I told him reasonably.

Although I really _did_ want him looking out for everyone back here, the main reason I didn't want him coming with me was because I really _did_ work better on my own.

In Russia I spent a long time hunting Strigoi on my own, and I did at Lehigh too, I had my own way of working and my own way of hunting.

"You and I both know you'll be keeping an eye on Lissa through the bond, and they are perfectly safe here. And if you're looking for the brothers, you'll know if they're planning an attack here and we can get back in time. Please, I'll help you; the worry will kill me if you go on your own." He pleaded once more, his free hand now outstretched in front of him, like he was calming a feral animal.

"You're wasting my time, just let me go." I pleaded once more.

"What would I do without you at Court anyway; I'm supposed to be working with you, so technically I should come too." He said, sounding a lot like me.

"I get your Rose-logic, I really do, but no."

He took a step towards me, as if he was going to grab me. I didn't think, I just acted.

I grabbed his arm at his wrist and pulled him towards me, instead of bumping into my like he could have, I twisted at the last minute so he instead hit the door. I twisted his arm behind his back so he was immobilised.

"Stop making this so difficult and just let me go, I'll be back before you know it." I said as I pressed him hard against the door until he clenched his jaw against the struggle. Then I let go and grabbed my bag and headed through the house, aiming for the back door in the kitchen.

I didn't even make it two feet.

Hi gripped me by my upper arm and held me against the hallway wall, he crouched down slightly so we were eye-to-eye.

"Give me 30 seconds and I'll be ready to go with you." He said earnestly.

"Why are you so desperate to come with me?" I asked as I struggled against his hold on me.

"I can't bear being here without you, Roza." He whispered honestly, his breath brushing my ear.

I let out a sigh and truly observed his face; his features were lined with worry. "You know I can look after myself." I said defiantly.

"Believe me, I know you can. But there's another reason I want to come with you." He said as his grip on my arms faltered slightly. I took the opportunity to shove his hands off me, I shoved off the wall and faced him, prepared to tackle him if he tried anything again.

"Go on." I said, waiting for him to elaborate.

He didn't look like he was going to charge for me again, but I wasn't taking any chances.

"I want to get out and _do_ something important. I've been cooped up in Tasha's house for years. I used to feel like my job was valued, but I haven't been able to do anything important in so long. When we went back to the Academy to get Jill, I felt alive for the first time in years, Roza. I know you've felt the same too, so surely you can understand. I need to _do_ something." He was breathing deeply by the end of his rant, and he looked almost guilty for sharing so much about himself with me, I had to smile.

I did understand what it was like to be cooped up after all. I felt like I wasn't doing anything worthwhile at Lehigh, which is why I spent my spare time hunting. It must have been so boring for him sitting around acting like Tasha's lapdog.

And I knew what he meant about needing to do something valued and worthwhile, it was exhilarating going out and doing something that I knew was making a difference to our society.

"You have 30 seconds or I'm going without you. I will be counting." The smile that lit up his face made it worthwhile. I would have felt guilty leaving him here, Vlad knows he'd be bored still without me anyway.

Before I could take a breath he pulled me into a bone-crushing hug and kissed me firmly on the cheek. Part of me was too shocked to respond, the other part of me wished he had kissed me on my lips rather than me cheek, he obviously knew he was on thin ice.

"You're wasting time..." I told him as I picked up my bag and headed towards the door once more. I didn't bother turning around when I heard his feet pounding on the stairs on his way up.

Exactly thirty seconds later he was waiting patiently by my side as I locked the door. His duster was on and he had a bag in his hand.

"How the hell did you pack so quickly?" I asked as we walked towards the Courts garage where a car would be waiting for me.

"I hadn't unpacked since you said I could stay, so really 30 seconds was plenty of time." He told me honestly as he held my gaze.

I frowned slightly before asking again. "Why didn't you unpack?"

He looked away from me sheepishly, avoiding the question.

"Oh come on, Comrade, don't be shy now." I encouraged him.

"I don't know, I was just kind of waiting for you kick me out of your house." He told me honestly after a few moments.

I looked at him in shock as we entered the garage. He didn't argue as I headed towards the driver's side of the sleek black SUV, he must trust that my driving is up to standard after our last mission.

"You really think I'd kick you out?" I asked as we threw our bags in the back and climbed into the car.

I waited and held his eye contact while he answered. "Of course, if you kicked me out I'd go without an argument. I was so awful to you, Rose; I have no idea why you'd let me stay with you."

I laughed humourlessly. "That's very chivalrous of you to say, Dimitri. But I just tried going on a mission on my own and you threw a hissy fit and practically tackled me to the ground, so I'm not sure if I believe that." I said as I turned on the engine and drove out of the garage.

He chuckled awkwardly while thinking of what to say. "You're right. But if you really didn't want me here I would have gone Rose. But you and I both know we're a great team, and that I've got your back." He said perfectly honestly. I knew if I let myself look at him now I'd be lost in those bottomless eyes as he told me nothing but the truth.

"Yeah, alright you've got a point. Just don't get in my way." I told him, as if I was scolding a child. It was shocking how our roles had reversed.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Roza." He promised.

We signed out of Court and made it through the heavily protected gates without an issue.

We drove for some time in complete silence, the only sound me humming along and sometimes singing to whatever song came on the radio.

"So," He began. "You said you had a plan, care to share what it is?" He asked finally.

I rolled my eyes and I knew he didn't miss the action. "That's another reason I didn't really want you coming, there's no way you're going to agree with my plan. So I'm telling you now, if you think you're going to stop me or get in my way, I'll pull over now and you can walk home."

"Alright, point taken. Tell me." He said boldly.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and saw him watching me. "Alright. I plan on hunting Strigoi and getting them to tell me where Victor and Robert are." I told him bluntly.

"That's it? You really think that Strigoi are just going to happily tell you where the brothers are?" He asked, quite reasonably. I probably wouldn't believe it either if I were him.

"No, they won't. So we catch them and torture it out of them. Strigoi aren't very loyal and they'll tell you anything to save their own hide." I told him.

He ran his hand through his hair and tied it up at the nape of his neck. I tried my hardest to keep my eyes on the road and not watch him.

"I'm so glad you're letting me come with you Roza. This sounds ridiculously dangerous." He said, almost jokingly.

"Sure, but I've done it before, and will no doubt do it again. And it's an effective way of getting things done. We'll be fine. Especially now we've got each other's back." I said honestly, my voice slowly trailing off at the end.

"A few years ago I would never have let you do this. But I trust you, and I would follow you anywhere, Rose Hathaway." He said my name like I was some Goddess he was praying to.

I felt a warm pressure on my thigh and looked down to see his hand firmly gripping my leg. His thumb gently rubbed up and down my thigh and I found it hard to concentrate on the road.

I couldn't help the smile that crept onto my face.

I felt the pressure of his hand lift slightly, he was about to take his hand off.

My hand flew from its place on the steering wheel and landed on top of his hand, setting it back where it was before.

His skin was both soft and rough at the same time.

Once I was confident that he wouldn't take his hand away, I found myself wanting to explore our new position. Our new 'relationship' was so new, we hadn't even spoken about what we were, and yet we had kissed twice now, and I wanted him to be touching me all the time. And he didn't seem to mind at all.

I trailed my fingers from the tips of his all the way to his knuckles and then back down again before linking our fingers once more. His grip tightened once I reached a certain point and I felt him watching me again.

We had been driving for about an hour when Dimitri broke the comfortable yet tense silence.

"So, where are we actually going, Boss?" He asked.

"Good question. We know that the brothers are hiding out somewhere in Pennsylvania, which is frightening, I know. It's ridiculous that they're so close to Court and yet no one is bothered about attacking them urgently." I ranted.

"If they don't want to attack, why are we looking for them?" He asked.

"We're looking, because The Queen and Hans will only authorise an attack if we know their exact location. And I was unwillingly recruited into finding that location. So I plan on finding any Strigoi in Pennsylvania and tracking down Victor and Robert." I told him.

"You know this could take a while, right?" Dimitri asked almost worriedly.

"I know. We're pretty much not allowed back until we find them." I told him with a sigh.

"You told me in that damn letter you'd only be gone a few days; no doubt you told Vasilisa and Jillian the same thing. Why did you lie?" He asked curiously.

I thought about my response for a while. "I don't know. Sometimes it's just easier to lie than to explain a complicated situation. And I would only worry Liss if she knew that I had no idea where I was going or for how long."

"I don't think you realise how much people rely on you back there, Rose. You can't just leave indefinitely and it not impact the people in your life." He told me.

I laughed humourlessly. "You're one to talk. That's a little contradictory, don't you think?" I asked him sarcastically.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I just want you to know how important you are. Not just to me, but to all of your friends. They rely on you more than you know." He told me honestly while raising my hand up to his lips and kissing the back of my hand. My heart fluttered at the action.

"Well, as long you know you're important too, Dimitri." I told him honestly. And I saw him smile out of my peripheral vision.

We drove for a while longer before I pulled up at a hotel and parked the car. Dimitri gave me a questioning look.

"I booked this place the other day; I figured it was a good enough place to start. We'll stay here until the sun sets and then go exploring the town. I read that there's a pretty good night life here so Strigoi activity should be high." I explained in response to his questioning look.

Sure, it wasn't a massive town. But there was a local college here, which usually means students clubbing at night, which brings Strigoi over like a moth to a flame.

He seemed to agree with my thinking as we got out and made our way to reception.

A boy in his early 20's was working at the check-in desk when we walked in. It wasn't a very fancy hotel, as I didn't want to be splashing money on this mission, especially as I didn't realise I'd have company on this mission after all.

"Hi there!" The boy greeted, looking directly at me, I'm not sure he even noticed Dimitri was by my side.

"Hi, I've got a room booked under the name Charlotte Lawrence." I told the boy while he typed something into the computed.

He printed out a piece of paper that I had to sign, and I handed him my credit card, which was also under a false name. Sydney and I had sorted out my fake details a while ago for situations just like this, Hans had been up for the idea as well. I felt Dimitri's questioning gaze fall onto my face but chose to ignore it.

"Thanks very much." He said when I handed him back the paper. "You'll be in room 83, and my name is Tommy if you ever need anything." He said while giving me a _very_ warm smile.

Dimitri put his arm around my waist and pulled me against his side then. The boy behind the desk saw the movement and his smile dropped from his baby-face instantly. "Thank you." Dimtri said while plucking the key form his hand and turning us towards the elevator.

We entered the elevator and I stepped away from his arm when the doors closed. "Jerk." I said when Dimitri gave me a pointed look. "What was that all about?" I asked.

"Nothing, I just didn't like the way he looked at you." He said sheepishly.

"Are you jealous, Dimitri Belikov?" I asked with a growing grin on my face. This was brilliant.

"No, of course not." He said while looking away.

I just laughed and fixed my hair in the mirror while we went up in the elevator.

We exited the elevator and walked down the hallway until we reached our room.

Dimitri unlocked the door and we made our way into the room. I stopped dead when I saw the room.

Of course, there would only be one bed, I booked it thinking _I_ would be the only one sleeping in here.

I sighed and walked further into the room. It looked nice enough, and at least it was a double bed rather than a single bed.

"I guess we should try and get some sleep before nightfall, and then we go hunting." I said as I headed over to the bathroom to get changed.

I changed into my pyjama shorts and tank top, once again, I didn't pack realising I'd have company.

I felt beyond awkward stepping out of the bathroom to see Dimitri standing awkwardly in the middle of the room dressed in nothing but pyjama bottoms, and nothing on his top half.

Dimitri's eyes travelled the length of my body and I felt my blood turn to fire in my veins.

I couldn't help but admire his body too. His chest and abs were completely mouth-wateringly ripped.

"Yeah, I obviously didn't bother booking a room with two beds, so... umm..."

Dimitri ran a hand through his now loose hair as the tension increased in the room.

"You know what; this doesn't have to be weird. It's not like we've never shared a bed before." I said while shoving my bag on the floor and slipping between the sheets of the bed. It was surprisingly comfortable. I made sure I set an alarm on my phone while Dimitri drew the curtains.

Despite the daylight outside, the curtains darkened the room enough for us to sleep.

I settled down into the bed while I felt the bed dip next to me as Dimitri settled down too.

His scent wrapped around me and I breathed deeply through my nose.

"Goodnight, Dimitri." I said as I closed my eyes, willing sleep to come.

"Goodnight, Roza. Thank you for letting me come with you." He said once again.

I ran my hand along the mattress in the space between us until I found Dimitri's hand, I gripped it in my own.

I fell asleep quicker and more peacefully than I had in years.

 **There we have Chapter 23! Thank you so much for all your reviews follows and favourites for the last chapter, I really hope you enjoyed it, as well as this chapter! There wasn't quite as much sparring in the beginning as I was planning, but hopefully it worked well and you enjoyed it! I did however have one review that has been bothering me since I received it, the reviewer was unhappy to say the least that it has taken this long for Dimitri and Rose to get together, they stated that paint dries quicker than this story, or something along those lines. When in the story they had only been back in each other's lives for a few weeks at most, which is a very short amount of time in reality. But I really just wanted to know if you guys were happy with the pace of this story, excluding the opinion of the impolite reviewer.**

 **Anyway, sorry for going off topic, I just really take to heart the reviews you give me and wanted to give my opinion, which I couldn't do to you personally as you reviewed as a guest! Anyway, who's excited for Christmas?! I sure am! Do any of you have advent calendars? I'm 19 and my mum still gets me one! I'm really sorry for ranting in this little note at the bottom. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so so so much for reading and for all of your support, I appreciate it more than you could know. Please let me know what you thought, thanks again.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey everyone, I just wanted to take the time to apologise for the delay in posting a new chapter, I know how frustrating it can be to follow a story for so long and the author just stops for a while, so I know it's annoying! I went to Amsterdam on the 8** **th** **and got stranded there for a week because we couldn't get a flight back due to the bad snow over there, so that really delayed my writing and I just found myself struggling to find the motivation to write. But I'm back, and I'm ready to give it another go. Hope all of your Christmas preparations are going great and that you're all well. On with the chapter!**

I woke up feeling warm and surprisingly safe considering the new surroundings. It always took me a while to adjust to a new place, especially when spending the night. It took me nearly a week in my new house to wake up and remember where I was, without a crippling fear that I had woken up somewhere I didn't recognise.

The alarm hadn't even gone off yet, and so I wondered what had awoken me.

And then I realised my position, or more appropriately, _our_ position.

Dimitri and I were nothing but a tangle warm bodies and limbs.

My back was pressed up firmly against his chest, and pretty much his whole body, actually. His arms were wrapped protectively around my body, one slung across my hips and the other holding tightly onto my upper waist, dangerously close to my breasts.

His breath brushed the hair that was draped down by my ear, and he sighed before pulling me even closer against his body, I was sure I heard my name escape his mouth in what could only be described as a strangled moan. The sound set my blood pumping and my skin heating.

I lay like that for a few moments, simply considering what to do. I knew we would have to get up soon, I watched the last of the light from the sun go through the window as the sun set and the moon replaced it.

I finally decided enough was enough and turned so I was lying on my back. Rather than waking Dimitri up like I had hoped the movement would, it seemed to just encourage him to pull me closer.

He nuzzled his nose right into the crook of my neck and inhaled deeply. "Dimitri." I said breathily, trying to wake him again.

"Hmm." Was his only response, he must still be sleeping.

He looked so peaceful while he slept, I would never tire of seeing him sleep. He looked so young; it was the only time when his face was completely at rest and without worry-lines.

"Dimitri." I said again while I brushed his loose hair behind his ear, his face turned into the movement, as if his skin was drawn to mine like a moth to a flame.

His eyes finally opened, but I didn't take my hand away from his face. Instead I trailed my fingers down from his temple along the stubble on his jaw. His eyes closed when I reached his chin and then opened again when I trailed my fingers down his neck, I saw the muscles tense there as he watched my face very carefully. His hands gripped my waist tighter as my fingers followed the line of his collarbone until I rested my hand against his bare chest, which was rising and falling quicker than it was before.

"Good morning, Roza." He whispered, I couldn't help but smile at his half-sleep state.

"Morning." I replied carefully. His eyes slowly lowered to look at where our bodies were tangled together, and where his hands were resting on my bare waist where my top had risen up.

He cleared his throat and I knew he was about to move away from me, the truth was that I didn't want him to move, I wanted him closer.

"I'm sorry." He said, gesturing at our intimate position, he began to move away. I knew he wanted this, but he wasn't sure if I did.

"Don't be." I said breathlessly as I moved my hand up to the back of his neck so that he couldn't move any further away from me. My body burned for him.

I knew he wasn't going to make the first move, he was too much of a gentleman for that, and I knew he didn't want to push me for anything. And so I leant up so our faces were just inches apart, and pressed my lips to his.

It started slow and gentle; we were still exploring each other's bodies after so long apart.

But then it became more, it became urgent and full of pure want and need. Our tongues were in a dance for dominance. His hands were holding me in place by my upper waist, and when his thumb brushed against my lower breast, a low moan rumbled from deep within me. I let out a breathless laugh of embarrassment, but it was soon cut off by his lips capturing mine in another searing kiss.

I needed to be closer, I needed more of him.

I sat up and pushed Dimitri down onto the bed so he was beneath me, I straddled him with my legs on either side of him. His hands rested on my hips as I lowered my face to his so that my hair created a curtain around us, as if we were the only people in the whole world.

I lowered my lower half so that I was resting on his groin, and I could feel that he was more than excited for me. Damn our pyjama bottoms, I needed them gone.

I trailed my hands down his chest, feeling the muscles tense beneath my touch, his breath came out as a moan as I explored a particularly sensitive part of his hips before I reached the waistband of his pants.

I was practically shaking with need. I had just hooked my fingers beneath the waistband of his pyjama bottoms when the alarm from my phone went off.

I ignored it for a moment as our lips continued their dance, but I finally sighed, sat up and turned the alarm off.

We stayed in that position for a moment, as if neither of us could tear ourselves away from the other.

The smile on Dimitri's face was almost blinding, and he lifted his hand and tucked my hair behind my ear. He was about to lower his hand when I caught it in my own and held it against my cheek before pressing my lips to the inside of his wrist for a moment.

"Duty calls." I said as I finally released his hand and climbed off his lap and stumbled to the bathroom where I showered quickly and dressed. I walked out to let Dimitri into the bathroom and he stopped short when he saw me.

"Wow, Roza. You take my breath away every time I see you." He said as his eyes raked over my body. I was wearing skin tight black jeans with a black sheer top. I was dressed appropriately enough for the nightlife around here, and I'd still be able to move easily enough. I w _as_ however, wearing heels. They were not ideal for fighting, but I knew I wouldn't be allowed inside a club without them.

I moved aside so Dimitri could enter the bathroom and I prepared myself while he was waiting.

I tied my hair into a high ponytail and put some light makeup on. I hated having to make myself up for this, but I knew I needed to look realistic.

I slipped my stake into the waistband of my jeans, and slipped a spare one into the side of my heeled boot. They might be a pain in the arse, but they were a good hiding place for weapons, especially when everything I was wearing was practically skin tight.

Dimitri walked out looking as Godly as usual, he was dressed pretty much as he normally would, his signature duster with his hair tied at the back of his neck. "Lucky you, getting to wear comfortable clothes to fight in." I said with a roll of my eyes, making him chuckle.

"Roza, don't forget this was your idea. And at least you look damn good in whatever you wear." He said as he ran his eyes over me again.

"Come on, let's get going." I said as I watched him slip his stake into the inside pocket of his duster, he also had a hand gun with he put into the holster which was hidden by his duster.

He looked incredibly dangerous.

We drove to the bustling part of town which was known for its nightlife, we had also heard it was a hotspot for Strigoi activity recently, just what we wanted.

When we pulled up down the street from the main club, we cut the engine and faced each other.

"Ok, so I'll go inside, check the place out, you wait outside down that alley." I said while gesturing to the alley behind the club. "Then I'll lure any Strigoi I find out to the alley and we get what we need quickly and quietly. Sound alright?" I asked him as I checked myself for the tenth time that my stakes were in place and I had nothing on me that could be used against me.

"Yes, that sound's alright." Dimitri said distantly.

"Come on, I need you with me on this one. I've done this a tonne of times Dimitri, but I need to know you've got my back." I said, looking sharply into his eyes so he knew I wasn't messing about. This was serious.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I've got your back, Roza. Always." He told me earnestly.

I nodded and kissed his cheek once before walking up to the queue of people waiting to get into the club.

I loosened my shoulders and added a swing to my step that made me look as if I had the affect of alcohol running through me.

I saw heads turn in my direction and threw a few teasing glances their way. I heard the car start up again as Dimitri drove it around the back where he would be waiting for me.

A bunch of drunken girls included me into their conversation while we made our way down the line, which I appreciated as it made me blend in more.

We made our way into the club where they dragged me to the dance floor and we began dancing.

I thought this whole thing was going to be a waste of time until I felt it. The nauseous feeling seeped into my stomach; I could practically feel my stomach twisting with tension.

I discreetly scanned the room as I swayed my hips and danced with the other club-goers.

I supposed an untrained eye would have mistaken him for a sickly looking man, the Strigoi. Although he stood out like a sore thumb only because he was the only one in the club not dancing. Instead, he was standing against the back wall, looking directly at me.

His red eyes bore into me as his deathly pale skin changed shades with the flickering lights.

I glanced away after a second; I knew by his watchful gaze that he sensed that I wasn't human like the rest of them. I was sure he could smell my blood pumping through my veins. Like him, I stood out from the rest.

I carried on dancing, turning it up a notch. I knew he was watching me, and I knew I had to put on a good show.

I relaxed the muscles in my neck so it hung down to the side as I danced, drawing attention to a Strigoi's favourite part.

I glanced over my shoulder and found him watching me still. I held his gaze this time, and purposely bit my lower lip for a moment.

I hated doing this to myself, but it proved to be the easiest way to catch a Strigoi.

I continued dancing for a while longer before I decided enough was enough.

I detached myself from the group of closely-packed dancing bodies.

I purposely walked by the Strigoi as I made my way to the back door; I held his gaze as I walked past and kept walking, the rolling sickness feeling in my stomach told me he had followed.

The Strigoi was a Moroi in his previous state, and I was sure he could have been handsome before he turned into this monster.

I made my way outside and pressed my back against the wall opposite the club. I knew it was risky to corner myself like this, but I had to make myself look believable, and I knew Dimitri would be watching.

The Strigoi stepped out of the club a moment later and his blood-red eyes drank me in. His hungry smile revealed two razor-sharp fangs. My heart began beating faster.

"What's a Dhampir like you doing out alone at a place like this?" He asked as he took a few steps closer.

I took a deep breath and added a level of shakiness to it; I needed to look afraid of him. "I just needed some time to myself, to cut loose."

He smiled again as he came closer, there was barely any space between us now. "Well, I can help you with that." He said as he put his arm against the wall so I was pretty much caged in between him and the wall.

I stayed very still while he lowered his face so it was just inches from my neck. Wait Rose, just a second more.

I felt a fang brush the pulsing vein in my neck and I acted.

I gripped the stake from the waistband from my jeans and thrust it into his stomach before he knew what was happening.

The scream that ripped from his throat was loud enough to set off a ringing in my ears. He caught his fang on my neck as he pulled away and I felt the skin there rip.

I gritted my teeth through the pain as I found the other stake from the boot of my heel and thrust it into the monster's shoulder and pinned him to the wall.

Then Dimitri was there, and he gripped the Strigoi and held him in place.

"Who the fuck are you?" He spat at me as he writhed against Dimitri's vise-like grip.

"I'm someone you need to listen to. Now tell me, do you know who Victor Dashkov and Robert Doru are?" I asked.

"Fuck you." He growled. I simply smiled and yanked the stake from his gut out, making him scream again.

"Now, I'll ask again. Do you know who Victor Dashkov and Robert Doru are?"

He swore at me again. So I took the tip of my stake and dragged the tip from his forehead all the way to his chin.

"Of course I know who they are. Dashkov is pretty well known." He growled through clenched teeth.

"Do you know where I can find them?" I asked. When he was reluctant to respond, I thrust my stake into his chest, a safe distance away from his heart.

"How should I know where they are?" He said as he tried yanking again out of Dimitri's grip.

"Because I know they're around here somewhere, and I find it difficult to believe that you would be here and not know who was running the show." I explained.

"You're right. I have heard from them, we all have. They got in contact with us all and told us what they were planning. And guess what you Dhampir scum, we agreed with them, and we're on their side." He said with a demonic laugh.

"What did they offer you to work with them? And where are they based?" I asked, my patience wearing thin.

"Fuck you." Was all he said.

I decided I had got all the information I was going to out of this one. I yanked the stake out of his chest and thrust it back in, exactly where his heart was.

His body slumped to the floor with a thud.

Dimitri was looking at me with a very odd look in his eyes. There was a fire in his eyes that I couldn't quite name.

And then I knew why. His gaze was on the scratch on my neck that the bastard's fangs had caused.

And then I was in his arms. "Are you alright? You were incredible." He asked as his eyes scanned my face before landing on my neck again.

"I'm fine. He wasn't going to tell us anything else, and we learnt enough from this one. We'll get more from the next one." I told him as I breathed in the comforting smell of him.

We rang up the Alchemists so they could dispose of the body and headed back to the hotel to discuss our plan for tomorrow night. It was difficult what we were doing, Strigoi are often reluctant to share any kind of information, and it's only usually bribery or pain that makes them talk, and bribery never works because you always have to kill them in the end. They think of no one but themselves.

Dimitri and I told ourselves we were doing them a favour by killing them, like we were releasing them from this state of being.

It was still a sensitive subject for us. We never really spoke about what happened when he was a Strigoi, and I knew that seeing my neck injured from the fangs of another Strigoi awoke something from deep within him, and I decided it was something we would have to talk about one day soon.

 **There we have Chapter 24! Once again, I'm really sorry for the delay, but I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you think! I cannot even express how much I appreciate the follows, favourites and reviews that I have received for this story, I honestly love reading your comments and I really take to heart what you say. Are you all ready for Christmas? I'm getting very excited now and plan on wrapping some presents once I've posted this chapter. Do you have any special traditions that you do every year? I don't really have a specific tradition, but our Christmas's are the same every year, we have the family round and eat our vegetarian roast dinner and play games! Anyway, thanks again for all the support, please let me know what you thought!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey everyone, I hope you all had an incredible Christmas and New Years. I just wanted to take this time to apologise for the delay with this chapter, I have explained more at the end of the Chapter which I really hope you'll read, especially about my new story idea! Thanks again for sticking with me through all of this, you have no idea how much I appreciate all of your support. Anyway, on with the chapter!**

The rest of the week carried on in a similar way as the first day. Dimitri and I would sleep during the day. We would fall asleep on opposite sides of the bed and then wake as a tangle of limbs. And though we shared a few more heated moments, none of it went as far as that first day.

Once we awoke to see the moon making its way up into the sky, we would get ready and head out to a different part of town and hunt down those Strigoi.

The job was difficult, and it was taking its toll on the both of us. There were plenty of Strigoi around here, but they weren't very willing to give up information. Though after torturing and inevitably killing what felt like thousands of Strigoi, we finally got the information we needed. The location of Victor and Robert's hideout.

It was only about an hour's drive from where we had been staying, and by the way it was described, it would be easy enough to find.

But Hans and the Queen's words repeated over and over clearly in my mind. Although we knew the location, I hadn't seen the place with my own eyes, and I wasn't going back to Court unless I was one hundred percent certain we had the right place. That's why Dimitri and I were on our way there right now.

I had insisted on driving, Dimitri had injured his shoulder slightly the previous night, and although it was nothing to worry about, it was still a bit stiff. Together we had accumulated a fair amount of injuries while making our way through the population of Strigoi in the area, luckily none of it was fatal, just a scratch or two.

The pierce wounds from the Strigoi bite on the first night were almost completely healed by now, but I still caught Dimitri studying them carefully every once in a while.

My hair was tied up today, with only a few strands framing my face. I glanced out of the corner of my eye while I was driving along the road and saw Dimitri watching me. He looked out of the window when he saw I had noticed.

We were both tired and worn out; I would use that as an excuse for my lack of patience with him.

"Alright, let's talk about this." I said abruptly after we had spent the first half of the journey in almost comfortable silence.

His dark brows furrowed in confusion as he looked at me again. "What are we talking about?" He asked, his voice low and rough after not speaking for some time.

I glanced at him again while I spoke to I could watch his reaction carefully. "You, your obsession with the scratches on my neck from that bastard Strigoi."

His brown irises darkened as they flickered down to my neck again before meeting my eyes. I tore my eyes away from his face to look at the road again, but I could still feel him watching me. "I... I'm not obsessed with them. It's just weird seeing them again, after... from when I... It's just difficult to see them there when I know I did the same thing to you back then." He sounded almost broken when he made his admission. Dimitri Belikov had always been so eloquent and well spoken with his words, even with the language barrier; this had to be one of the first times I had ever heard him stumble over his words.

"But it wasn't you that gave them to me this time. Or last time, the person who kept me there wasn't you Dimitri, you know that." I told him sincerely while glancing from him to the road. I was starting to regret my decision to drive; I wanted to see his face when I spoke to him.

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just the last time I saw you with marks on your neck was when I was a Strigoi, and I was the one that gave them to you. It just brings back... not so pleasant memories." He finally said.

Of course it would bring back memories for him. If anything, I was being selfish for taking the situation so light-heartedly.

"I'm sorry." I said as I took one hand off the wheel and pulled the hair-tie out of my hair, letting it fall around my shoulders.

My hair was starting to grow longer again now, it just about came down to my breasts.

I didn't need to look to know that Dimitri was watching me. "You didn't have to do that." He said, meaning taking my hair down. "And you should never apologise to me, you have done nothing wrong."

I decided not to respond to that, we had had this conversation far too many times.

I followed the GPS until we reached a dirt-track road. The GPS couldn't take us directly to the address, because it seemed to be situated in the middle of a dense forest, and this lane seemed to be the only entrance point. That would not be useful in a fight.

"I say we hide the car somewhere and walk down the road until we reach the house." I decided after we sat in silence for a moment thinking of our best strategy.

Dimitri considered my words for a moment until he nodded. I drove a few minutes down the street until we came upon a rundown gas station. The car would blend in well enough there.

We checked our weapons twice before we finally declared it time to go. It was daylight now, so Strigoi were not an imminent threat to us, but that didn't mean we wouldn't be spotted by Moroi or any potential Dhampirs that were working for the brothers.

We didn't talk once we reached the road that would lead us to the house; we needed our wits about us.

The road was as straight as a ruler but seemed to go on for miles; we were surrounded by nothing but thick woodland on either side.

We had been walking for some time when we finally saw the metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel.

A massive wrought iron gate loomed ahead of us. The height of it towered over Dimitri's head and it looked thick and strong, a fence ran around the whole perimeter of the house and its grounds.

The house was something else completely. It was incredibly grand, and absolutely huge. It looked like something you would see in a movie, probably in a horror movie. The building looked incredibly old and yet it was very well maintained.

There was a long gravel driveway leading up to the front entrance, the path was lined with flower beds filled with perfectly tended white flowers.

I mentally sighed in frustration, there was no way we'd be able to creep up on the brothers if this was where they were staying, we would be wide open to attacks from all angles with only one way of escaping, we would have to be very smart about this.

The house practically radiated royal Moroi power; everything about it was perfectly well kept and pristine.

There must have been at least one hundred windows on that house, and almost every single one was boarded up with cardboard or wood panels as far as I could see from this distance. All except the ones on the fourth floor, which looked like more of an attic.

I was going to motion to Dimitri that we should get a closer look when we both stopped dead.

We both heard it at the same time, but Dimitri was the first to act.

His strong arms gripped me around the waist and he yanked me into the woods quicker than I could have thought possible.

His large hand covered my mouth as he pulled us down into a crouching position behind some bushes deep enough into the woodland that we wouldn't be seen.

The car sped past so quick that it caused bits of gravel to fly up from the ground in our direction. I put my arms up to shield us as Dimitri's arms were busy holding me close to his body. The sting of the stones making contact with my skin made me flinch ever so slightly.

The car skidded to a halt in front of the gates.

I leapt up out of Dimitri's vice-like grip and ran from the bushes.

"Rose!" Dimitri whisper-yelled even as I heard him follow after me.

I stopped just within the line of trees and watched as an arm poked out of the driver's side of the car; it looked like whoever it was was entering a code into a keypad that I hadn't noticed before. There were at least 10 digits in the code.

Dimitri's hand gripped my shoulder as if he was scared I was going to make a move on the car now. As if I would be so reckless.

The gate finally opened with a groan and the car sped through and up the long driveway before stopping in front of the main entrance.

The gate shut automatically after they were through.

Three figures exited the car and hurried into the house. The first two were very clearly Victor Dashkov and Robert Doru. The second was not so easy to recognise.

It was very clearly a woman, but she wore a coat with the hood up, so there was no way of truly telling who it was.

This information was enough, we had what we needed.

We weren't foolish enough to walk back down the road, and instead went back through the woodland. We didn't utter a word during the long walk back to the car; I think we were both secretly afraid that we would somehow be heard. Even the trees had ears in places like this.

We let out of a joint sigh of relief when we finally made it to the car and started the engine, that had been a close call. The whole operation would have been ruined if we had been seen or even worse, caught. I didn't even want to think about what would happen to us if Victor had seen us approaching his house. That house was likely filled to the brim with Strigoi. What he did to Lissa all those years ago back at the Academy way bad enough, I hated to think what he would be capable of doing now he was even more corrupt.

Now we were on our way back home, to Court. We would go straight to Hans and the Queen once we were through the gates, this matter couldn't wait. Then we would need to prepare for what would likely be the fight of our lives.

 **There we have Chapter 25! I just want to apologise for the delay in the update, I have been busy recently and honestly just lost all inspiration, I kept worrying myself about where this story was going, all of your reviews really encouraged me, but I just felt like I would let you down if I posted a chapter that wasn't very good.**

 **In other news, I was on the way home from the shops yesterday with my Mum when I had what I think is an amazing story idea. I think the idea must have sparked from the Throne of Glass books, which I hope you've all read. I was thinking that Rose Hathaway is a famous assassin who has been pretty much living on the streets all her life, when she is kidnapped one night and taken to the King's Castle by the Head of the Guard, who would be Dimitri, and basically shit goes down. I will use the Vampire Academy characters with a storyline somewhat inspired by Throne of Glass. I've already written a story plan so I'm hoping I won't lose myself in it like I feel I have this story. The story would be set way back in the past, before phones and cars, where Kingdoms were ruled by Kings and Queens. So really, I just wanted to know if this is something that you would want to read. And also if you think the characters should have powers such as Fire and Ice. I would likely put this story on hold for the time being until I get some more inspiration, which I am incredibly apologetic for.**

 **Anyway, sorry for rambling, I'm not even sure if people read these bits at the end! Please let me know what you think about the new story. Thank you so much for all of the incredible reviews, I'm so sorry that this chapter isn't very long, but I appreciate all of the follows, favourites and reviews soooooooooo much. Thanks again, please let me know what you think!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hey everyone! Can you believe it's been over a year since I updated this story? Well, I can't! Things have been hectic recently and I've barely been able to think about updating any of my stories. But I recently really felt like getting back into it, and so I read this story again and thought it was about time I added to it. So here's a little update on what's going on in this story, if any of you are even still interested!**

 **So Dimitri left four years ago with Tasha but now they're back in Court until Lissa and Christian get married, Dimitri has decided to stay permanently, and is temporarily staying in Rose's spare room. Jill has been collected from where she was working at St Vlads to keep her safe as she is Lissa's half sister, not that anyone really knows that. Rose and Dimitri have just been on a scouting mission to track down Victor Dashkov and Robert Doru, and found them entering a well guarded estate with an unknown woman only a few hours' drive from Court.**

My leg wouldn't stop bouncing where I sat in the car beside Dimitri, he had insisted on driving this time while I flicked through the reports we had hastily written, concluding our findings from our week long search for Victor Dashkov and Robert Doru. We had finally found them, and only a couple of hours from where everyone was living obliviously at Court. That was what was so frightening, how could we be so unaware of them living so close to where we thought our Moroi were safest?

Once we were through the gates at Court and had the car safely parked in the garage, we walked straight to Her Majesty's palace. I had called Guardian Croft on our journey back to tell him we were on our way home and needed to speak to him and the Queen immediately. He had agreed without question, he knew how important this was.

When we arrived at the palace, the guardians stationed around the palace greeted Dimitri and I with discreet smiles and respectful nods of their heads, which we returned. When Dimitri had first arrived at Court, people would keep their distances and give him cautious looks, but they had seen him around with me so often now that they greeted him as they would anyone else.

We were ushered straight to the meeting room in which we would be meeting Hans and the Queen, and knocked on the door without wasting a second, we were called straight through by the Head Guardian. Dimitri and I still had our bags with us, we hadn't even stopped to drop them off at home before rushing over here, this was a matter of urgency.

The Queen and Hans were the only people in the room; her personal guards had been stationed outside the room instead of in it. I think this was the first time I had ever seen her in a room without her personal guardians. I assumed they didn't want this information getting out until it was absolutely necessary.

Dimitri and I shook Croft's hand before bowing to Tatiana. To my surprise she pulled me into a quick embrace and shook Dimitri's hand. Despite her small size she gripped me tightly. "I am glad you both made it back safely." She said sincerely.

The Queen motioned for us to sit. This meeting room wasn't one of her most formal ones; instead it held several plush sofas arranged in a circle with a large round table in the middle. The floor was so spotless that I could see my reflection in it when I glanced down, and grand paintings of royal Moroi I didn't recognise were placed evenly on the high walls.

Dimitri and I placed our bags behind one of the seats before taking a seat next to each other at a respectable distance. Hans and Her Majesty then took a seat.

Hans was the first to speak. "I trust that you have the information we require?" He questioned, glancing from me to Dimitri.

"Yes." I replied without hesitation. "Dimitri and I have written full reports for you. We saw Victor Dashkov, Robert Doru and an unknown woman exiting a car and entering a very heavily secured house only a few hours from here. We interrogated several Strigoi until they gave up the correct location. We went to the house and witnessed them entering the house before coming straight here." I stated matter-of-factly.

Hans asked several questions which Dimitri and I answered to the best of our abilities. Did we see any Strigoi at the property? No. Did we recognise the woman that was with the brothers? No. He also asked about the security of the house, and we told him everything we saw in detail.

"I'll send out more guardians to scout the location, we'll have people watching the house 24 hours a day. You've both done well, thank you. I suggest you get some rest, I want you both leading this attack with me when we decide to strike." Hans told us, I was sure I could even see pride in his eyes.

Dimitri and I both nodded our acknowledgements before the Queen rose from where she was seated, we all did so too out of respect. "Yes, thank you both. I won't forget your service." And with that we had been dismissed. We collected our bags and left as swiftly as we had arrived.

"What now?" Dimitri asked as we walked down the tree lined path that lead from the palace.

"We can drop our bags off at my place and then I'm going to go and see Liss and let her know I'm home. I'd also like to find Jill and make sure she's settling in alright." I explained.

Dimitri seemed to think about what to say for a moment before he spoke. "I suppose I should find somewhere to stay." He murmured.

He looked almost embarrassed when I looked up at him. "There's no rush, you can stay with me for as long as you want." I told him. The truth was that I didn't really _want_ him to go. I had gotten used to having him around while we were out on our mission. I wasn't ready to share my bedroom with him, but I couldn't deny that I enjoyed his company.

Once we reached my house, I unlocked the door and literally threw my bags into the entryway before going across the lawn to Lissa's house. Dimitri stayed behind at my house to unpack; I think he was being careful not to crowd me too much.

I checked the bond whilst I walked through Lissa's door just to make sure that she and Christian weren't in a situation that I didn't want to walk in on, but I was surprised to see that Jill was already there, Adrian was there too.

I spent the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening at Lissa's house, mostly just catching up with everyone and discussing plans for the wedding. The ceremony would take place in the grandest church at Court, and Lissa said we would have to start trying on bridesmaid dresses soon. I didn't need to pretend to act excited about the wedding; I really was looking forward to it, even if I did have to wear an awful dress. But there was so much to worry about still, I felt bad for neglecting Lissa at such an important time.

The moon was high in the sky by the time I bid my goodbyes and headed back over to my house. I slipped my shoes off in the entryway and chucked my jacket on the back of a chair, I hadn't needed it, it had been unseasonably warm recently.

I made my way upstairs, trying to be as quiet as possible; I suspected that Dimitri would be asleep by now.

I slipped into my pyjamas, which consisted of black polka dot shorts and a loose tank top. I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

-xXx-

I was having a rather heated dream when I was viciously torn from my slumber by a great boom shaking the house. I was immediately in a fighting stance with my stake gripped firmly in my hand.

Rain pelted at the window, the room flashed and another boom sounded. A storm. Not a mass Strigoi attack or a bomb being dropped on the Court, just a storm.

I huffed out a laugh and wiped the light layer of sweat that had formed on my forehead. My blood was still burning from the dream I had been lost in. I could almost feel the way Dimitri's hands had fisted in my hair and tugged it lightly, the way his lips had ravished my neck, the way his thighs had parted mine.

I needed to cool down.

I crept downstairs and made my way through the kitchen and out of the back door. It lead to a porch with a bench that faced out towards a small clearing where children often played. It was deserted now as the thunder and lightning cracked through the sky.

I took a seat on the bench and stretched my bare feet out so that the rain splashed down onto them. It helped cool me down.

It had been muggy the previous day, and so I was hoping the storm would help clear the air a bit. I breathed the fresh air deep into my lungs and watched as the sky lit up with flashing veins of white.

The fresh air and cool rain helped clear my foggy thoughts.

The door creaked beside me and I didn't need to look to know that the source of my lust filled dreams was about to take a seat to my right. His shoulder brushed mine and my skin came alive.

I was thankful that Dimitri had the sense to put some shorts and a shirt on before he came out here, or I might not be able to control myself at all.

"You like watching storms?" Dimitri asked, finally breaking the comfortable silence we had been sat in.

"Mhm." I nodded; my voice was rough from sleep. "Lissa is scared of them, so I never really get to enjoy them." I had already checked the bond and saw that Christian was comforting her, so I didn't need to worry about her being afraid this time.

Dimitri's knee brushed my thigh then, and my skin broke out in goosebumps.

"Are you cold?" He asked quietly while running his gaze over my skin, I could swear I saw heat fill his eyes when he took in my attire.

I lied and nodded to his question. I wasn't cold at all, in fact I was quite warm, but I wasn't about to tell him that even the smallest touch by him made my skin tingle.

Dimitri then wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me in close to him, so my body was flush against his. His scent wrapped around me as I rested my head against his shoulder. His fingers tangled in the strands of my hair.

God, this was perfection.

I couldn't help but nuzzle my head against his chest; he pressed a kiss to my hair and rested his head atop mine.

I wished I could have stayed this way forever, but I felt myself dozing off to sleep far sooner than I'd have liked. I wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as I could, but my mind and body had other ideas and I had again fallen asleep before I even knew what was happening.

 **There we have Chapter 26! I can't apologise enough for how long it took me to carry on with this story, and I can't promise when the next chapter will be out either. I really hope you haven't given up on me and that you can forgive me for taking so long to get back into writing, I know how annoying it is when you fall in love with a story and the author just seems to give up, but I promise I still think about my stories all the time, I just don't have the time or energy to write as much now that I am working all the time. But please let me know what you think, and also let me know if there is anything in particular you want to see happen in this story! Thanks again so much for your patience and your support.**


	27. Chapter 27

I awoke in bed, my phone buzzing on the bedside table beside my head being the culprit. How had I gotten back into bed? The last thing I remembered was sitting outside watching the storm with Dimitri. Oh God, I must have fallen asleep on him. Had he carried me all the way up here and put me in bed?

Buzz. Buzz. Right, the phone, I suppose I should answer it. The caller ID says it's Lissa. I forced a smile onto my face even though she couldn't see me. "Hey Liss." I say in greeting.

"Rose! I'm glad I didn't wake you up." I rolled my eyes at that but didn't bother telling her that she _did_ wake me up." Me and Chris are having everyone round tonight for dinner." She states.

"Who is everyone?" I ask, stifling a yawn.

"Oh, well Eddie is on duty and Tasha said she was busy, but Adrian is coming and so are you and I thought I would see if Dimitri wanted to come. I spoke to Tasha and she said Dimitri isn't living with her anymore. How strange is that?! I wonder where he's staying." She rattled on, barely stopping for breath.

"He's staying with me, Liss." I explained apprehensively, not looking forward to the reaction I knew was coming.

"What?!" How could you not tell me this?!" Was her instant response. I held the phone away from my ear to prevent her screech from damaging my eardrums.

"It was a quick decision, I saw him wandering around with a suitcase and the words just came out of my mouth, I'll explain everything tonight."

"Ok, ok." She relented. "Be round tonight at 7, and dress nice, no jeans! You never get to dress up anymore."

I skipped breakfast as I had already slept later than I had planned. I washed and dressed into my guardians uniform. Dimitri was in the shower when I crept out of the house. It wasn't that I was avoiding him exactly, but seeing him would make me feel things that I didn't have time to face right now.

I was allocated to office duty today, it was rare that I had desk work to do, but each guardian was allocated a certain amount of paperwork hours we had to complete, filing reports, checking over paperwork, looking at statistics and other similarly mind-numbing tasks.

I stopped by Hans' office on my way to the office I'd be working in. I knocked on the door before he called me through. "Ah, Hathaway, how's things?" He asked while his eyes scanned over the maps and files that littered his desk.

"All quiet on our end. How are the plans for the attack coming?" We had spent some time going over potential ways in which we could execute an attack on the Dashkov's manor. We had a few ways we were considering, but still had to fine-tune a few details.

"Not bad." He muttered. Well, that sounds hopeful. "We just need to decide which guardians are going; it will be on a volunteer only basis." I nodded along to that, because it was so rare for guardians to stage attacks, we organised them on a volunteer only basis rather than forcing guardians to go. We usually worked on defending places rather than attacking them.

We went over a few more details before I left him to his pondering a made me way to the small office I'd be spending the day in.

I took a seat on the creaking chair at the desk. The walls were grey, the carpet was grey and there wasn't even a window. Though there was a painting of a waterfall hanging crookedly on the wall opposite the desk, so I suppose I had that to be grateful for. And don't forget the wilting plant beside the computer, no doubt a failed attempt to make it a more pleasant workspace.

Before doing anything, I got YouTube up and decided to listen to Alanis Morissette, a bit of a throwback, I know. I was humming along and tapping my foot while going over the reports I had been assigned to check. I also had to check things like if each Moroi had the appropriate number of guardians assigned to them, and if each guardian was assigned a post appropriate to their experience and skill set. Most guardians were allocated a couple of hours of desk time, but I had been given more responsibilities over the years.

The clock ticking on the wall became my nemesis. It's not like I was particularly looking forward to the dinner at Lissa's tonight, I was just looking forward to getting out of here.

5 o'clock eventually came round and I pretty much sprinted out of the building. I decided to run home since I hadn't had much chance to move around today. I took the long way home, skirting the main high street and going around the outer edge of Court.

I was almost out of breath by the time I walked into the house. I found Dimitri on the couch in the living room reading a western book. He was already dressed and ready for tonight, he had gone with faded black jeans and a black button up shirt with the top two buttons undone. Just looking at him made my stomach clench with feelings I wasn't quite ready to admit to yet.

He glanced up when I walked in and his mouth lifted into a smile that was reserved only for me. I plonked down onto the chair across from him and put my feet up on the coffee table before downing half of the contents of the water bottle I had fetched from the fridge on my way in.

"How was work?" He asked, resting his book on his knees while he spoke, turning all of his attention to me.

"So dull, I was on office duty. I could feel those four walls slowly sapping the life from my soul." I said with a dramatic flick of my hair, which I had just released from its confining bun. I couldn't help but notice the way his bottomless brown eyes followed the movement.

"I don't know if you heard, but Lissa and Christian invited me to dinner at their house with you all. I hope you don't mind, but I thought I would go with you." He said almost nervously.

"I don't mind at all, it'll be good for you to spend some time with them again, especially since you'll be sticking around at Court."

"Thank you." Was all he said, flashing me another of those breathtaking smiles.

I playfully rolled my eyes. "You don't need to thank me Comrade, I want them to be your friends too." I glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece above the fireplace then. "I suppose I'd better go and get ready." I said while getting up and heading upstairs.

I stripped off and jumped straight into the shower. I didn't often have time to spare when getting ready, so I took the time to exfoliate my skin and shave; I also used my favourite strawberry scented shampoo and conditioner.

Once I was finished, I wrapped my hair in a towel after drying my body off and headed to the wardrobe to decide what to wear. My eyes strayed longingly to my black skinny jeans, but Lissa has said explicitly no jeans, I had to dress _nice._

I pulled out a dark red wrap dress that I had only worn a couple of times before and studied it for a minute before deciding it would have to do. It was tight fitting around the waist but flowed out slightly around the hips, it was also cut so it showed just a small amount of cleavage.

I let my hair dry naturally and brushed it out so it had a smooth wave before doing light makeup.

I checked down the bond and saw that Liss and Chris were just finishing up getting ready and would be ready for us any minute, so I headed downstairs.

I watched as Dimitri's eyes widened when he ran his eyes over my figure and took in my appearance. He gave me a heated smile and finally met my eyes. "You look breathtaking." He said before putting his bookmark between the pages he was on and placing it on the coffee table before standing and walking towards me until he stood just in front of me, barely a breath away.

He stood so close that I had to look up to meet his eyes. I watched as he took a deep breath before leaning down and pressing a lingering kiss to my cheek, barely an inch from the corner of my mouth.

My breath caught in my throat and I rested my hand against his chest where I could feel his heart rapidly pounding within. I wasn't sure where I put my hand there to push him away or pull him closer, but he had stepped away before I could decide.

I swatted his shoulder playfully in response to his bold antics. "They're ready when we are." I told him after checking the bond a final time. "Shall we head over?" I questioned.

He took a deep breath before nodding. I could feel the tension radiating off him. I didn't want him to be tense tonight; I wanted him to be able to have fun. I felt like getting him for his previous stunt and decided that two could play at that game. I took a step closer to him and trailed my hands up his strong arms until they met at the nape of his neck, my fingers tangling in the strands of his hair that he had left down. I tilted my head up and pressed my lips to the underside of his jaw.

He stood frozen in place for a second before his whole body relaxed and a low groan slipped from within his chest. I stepped away and headed out of the door, locking it behind me once Dimitri had recovered and followed me out.

I knocked simply out of politeness before heading through my best friend's front door. "Hellooooo!" I cooed as we headed through to the kitchen where I knew the couple were.

Lissa greeted me with a firm hug, as did Christian. Dimitri shook both of their hands a little awkwardly.

After we had spoken for a few minutes Christian headed over to the fridge. "Wine?" He offered to the both of us.

"Sure, I'm never one to turn down wine, and I'm off tomorrow so all the more reason to say yes." I explained.

"Red or white?" He asked, pulling a bottle of each off the rack in the fridge

"White for me." I replied while getting five wine glasses down from the cupboard in which I knew they were kept. Adrian would be here any minute and I knew he'd want a drink.

Dimitri thanked Christian and politely accepted a glass of red.

We made our way into the living area and spoke about menial subjects until Adrian sauntered into the room. He was dressed well with black pants and a light grey shirt on. He shook Dimitri and Christian's hand and hugged Lissa, and then it was my turn. He wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me completely off my feet while hugging me, he swiftly kissed both of my cheeks before setting me back on the floor, giving me a playful wink, I knew he was doing this purely for Dimitri's benefit, and so I punched him in the shoulder in a way that told him I didn't appreciate his antics. "You're looking absolutely gorgeous tonight, Little Dhampir."

I sat back down beside Dimitri and could practically feel the tension pulsing off him; I was honestly surprised he didn't growl at Adrian. It was going to be a long evening indeed.

Conversation flowed for the next hour or so while Christian flitted in and out of the kitchen while preparing the food. Dimitri occasionally got up to help him, being polite as ever.

We were on the third bottle of wine by the time we made our way over to the dining table where the food had been set out. Christian had prepared a mouth watering lasagne.

We had spent most of the evening talking about preparations for the wedding.

"How come Eddie and Natasha couldn't make it tonight?" Adrian asked at some point.

"Eddie is on duty and Tasha was sorry she couldn't make it but she already had plans to visit a few of her friends out of town. Christian explained while finishing the last mouthful of his food. I was sat between Adrian and Dimitri, with Lissa opposite me and Christian behind her.

"I heard you're not staying with my Aunt anymore, what's that all about? She wouldn't really go into it." Christian asked Dimitri, he demand answers rudely, he was simply curious, and I could tell that Lissa and Adrian were too.

"I've decided to stay in Court permanently once your Aunt leaves. When I came back I realised this is where I was meant to be, and that it wasn't fair for me to be staying with her anymore while we were both on different pages." Dimitri explained.

"So you're staying elsewhere in guest housing now?" Adrian asked with mischief dancing in his emerald eyes. I wasn't sure how he knew, but he certainly knew Dimitri wasn't staying in guard housing, he just wanted to toy with him.

"No, Rose has kindly let me stay with her for a while until I figure out a more permanent place to live." He said, giving me a grateful smile.

Adrian's face lit up into a mocking grin as he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him. "How very _heroic_ of you, Little Dhampir."

"You know me." I said, taking a long sip of my wine. "Always one to help a friend in need."

Lissa refilled everyone's glasses while mentally arguing with herself as to whether she should ask the question that was begging to be voiced.

"Out with it, Liss." I prompted while shuffling out of Adrians embrace; I really shouldn't have sat between the two of them like that.

She sighed, not for the first time resenting that I had an insight into what she was thinking. "Is that all you two are? Just friends?" She asked awkwardly whilst fidgeting in her seat. It was so rare that I saw her uncomfortable like that, especially around me. I sent soothing waves through the bond, hoping to reassure her. I watched as her shoulders relaxed within seconds.

"We're trying." I replied, without looking to the Russian God who sat silently beside me, he was letting me answer this however I was comfortable, he was probably curious himself as to what my answer would be. My friends gave me disappointed looks at my vague answer, and so _fuck it_ , I thought before elaborating. "It's all still so new. All I know is that I need Dimitri in my life one way or another."

Adrian downed the rest of his glass before putting it back down on the table with a bit too much force. "Yeah, until he fucks off and leaves you a husk of the person you were before, and we'll be the ones to pick up the pieces, _again."_

I felt as Dimitri's whole body tensed and his fists clenched where they were resting on his knees beneath the table.

I turned sharply towards Adrian quick to defend Dimitri as pure anger suddenly flooded through my body. "Watch it, Adrian. You really don't know as much as you think you do." I bit out through clenched teeth while giving him a look that warned him against saying anything like that again.

He looked shocked and then ashamed before his shoulders slumped. "You're right." He said before looking Dimitri in the eye. "I'm sorry man, that was uncalled for."

Dimitri nodded his acknowledgement of the apology. "You're right. And believe me, the last thing I intend to do is ever hurt her again." I placed my hand over his beneath the table where no one could see, and couldn't help but smile when he threaded his fingers through mine.

Conversation flowed smoothly for the rest of the evening; all unpleasant topics were left behind as we discussed wedding plans, and the honeymoon. It was almost midnight by the time we said goodbye and headed back home. Adrian apologised once more to Dimitri and I once we had made it outside the door.

Dimtiri and I made our way straight upstairs when we got home. And we stopped to face each other between our bedroom doors. "I'm sorry about tonight, Roza. I didn't mean to make it unpleasant for you." He said while running his fingers through his hair.

"Don't apologise, you did nothing wrong. I just feel bad because you were uncomfortable. And don't you dare try and deny it, I can see straight through you." I said matter of factly.

"You're right, I was uncomfortable for some of it, but I also enjoyed it, just being around you and your friends, I was glad I could be a part of it."

I gripped his shirt and stepped back so my back was against the wall as I pulled him closer to me. "You are a part of my life now, Dimitri." I said, my voice coming out low and rough.

"Really?" He asked, he seemed to be almost breathless.

I shrugged slightly. "Only if you want to be." I said, almost nervous that I had gone too far.

The smile that lit up his face took my breath away. "I would be honoured." He said.

I still wasn't ready to commit myself fully to him; it would take time before I could trust him explicitly. But I had meant what I said, that I needed him in my life. There was no turning back now, and so I closed the gap between us and pressed my lips to his.

His hands went immediately around my waist and he lifted me, I wrapped my legs around his waist almost out of reflex and he gently leant me against the wall while his mouth danced against my own. One of my hands was still clutching his shirt as if I was reluctant to let go while the other ran through his hair, tugging gently every so often.

His teeth nipped at my bottom lip and I couldn't hold back the moan that escaped my lips. This only seemed to spur him on as his mouth claimed mine, the occasional Russian expletive would slip through.

We carried on like this for what could have been seconds or minutes or hours, surrounded in our own cloud of bliss, but neither of us wanted to push the other, as if suggesting we take it further might pop the bubble we were currently in.

I slowly, so slowly unwrapped my legs from his waist and stood firmly back on the ground. My legs felt like they were trembling ever so slightly, and my lips still tingled.

I couldn't help the smile that was on my face, and I could feel that I was blushing from my neck to my ears, but I didn't really care, I was sure he knew the effect he had on me. "Goodnight I guess." I said finally. His answering smile threatened to melt me there and then.

"We're going to have to talk about this eventually, you know." He said carefully while brushing my hair behind my ear.

I nodded, the smile on my face refusing to subside. "Soon." I promised. "Just not tonight."

I kissed him once again. Twice. Then a third time before pulling myself away. "Goodnight Dimitri." I said while heading to my bedroom door. Afraid that if I didn't distance myself now I never would. "Goodnight Roza, you incredible woman." He muttered while making his way to his own room.

I was in way too deep. There was no turning back now.

 **There we have Chapter 27! I have to admit I got a bit carried away with this chapter, so I'm sorry if its too long or if it seemed like I was waffling on, but I really enjoyed writing it! I've honestly been blown away by your reviews for this story since I last updated it, and I am so very grateful that you're all still interested after I vanished for so long. I'm afraid though that this doesn't mean I'll be updating regularly, but I'm doing what I can when I can, I had no idea how often I'll be able to update this, but I promise you I am not giving up on this story or on An Assassins Flame, I plan on finishing both of them I just can't predict when. Thanks again so much for your continued support, please let me know what you think!**


	28. Chapter 28

I awoke feeling contented and rested for the first time in a long time. I took the time to slowly stretch my muscles and collect my thoughts before unlocking my phone and checking my messages.

The only message I had was an automated message from the Guardian Headquarters.

 **To all Guardians who are not on duty-**

 **You are requested to attend a meeting at HQ today at 10AM. Attendance is mandatory.**

I sighed, double checking the time and then locking my phone. The meeting was in two hours time, I already knew exactly what it would be about.

Knowing I had plenty of time, I took a leisurely shower before dressing in trainers, leggings, a sports bra and zip up hoodie. I threw my hair into a messy bun atop my head as I made my way downstairs. It wasn't necessary to wear our Guardians uniform to these meetings, and I intended to go to the gym afterwards, so I decided to dress ready for that.

A wonderful smell hit my nose as I was halfway down the stairs and my stomach grumbled involuntarily. I followed my nose into the kitchen where I was Dimitri standing in front of the stove.

I came up behind him and glanced around him to see what he was cooking. I let out a delighted gasp when I beheld the wonderful roundness that he was cooking. "Is that blini?" I asked, my mouth watering at the sight and smell of them.

"Good morning to you too, Roza. Yes, it is blini. Sit down, it's almost ready." He instructed as he scooped up the last of them and placed them onto a plate.

I made my way to the breakfast bar where he had already set out two glasses of orange juice and two cups of coffee. One was black, for him, and the other white, for me. "Thank you, you didn't have to do this." I said as I sat down and took a sip of orange juice.

"You don't need to thank me, it's the least I could do. I hope you like it." He said before serving me and then himself. He sat down beside me and his leg brushed up against mine, I couldn't help stop the tremble that went through my body. How did he have such a strong effect on me? Luckily, I don't think he noticed.

I took the first bite and couldn't help the moan that escaped my lips as the flavours hit my taste buds. "Comrade, this is incredible. Almost as amazing as how your Mother makes them." I said before I realised what I had actually said and how the conversation may have just taken an uncomfortable turn.

I watched out of the corner of my eye as his whole body tensed for a moment. "I sometimes forget that you have met them, that you stayed with them." He said solemnly before he continued to eat.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, suddenly feeling like a complete idiot for bringing up that part of our lives that we had both worked so hard to move past.

He turned to face me then, his eyes were filled with such strong emotions that I blinked in surprise. "Don't apologise, Roza. I am glad that you got to meet them; I just wish it was under different circumstances."

"Really?" I asked, needing to be sure.

"Yes. I always imagined that I would one day take you to Russia to meet them and introduce you to them as my girlfriend. I always knew they'd adore you, and of course I was right, it just didn't happen how I wanted it to."

It shocked me how honest Dimitri was being. He was still very guarded about his emotions and feelings, for him to declare these things to me so openly surprised me.

"I wish it had happened differently too, but I will always be grateful that I got to meet them."

"You'll see them again, I promise, I'll make sure of it." He declared before turning back towards his plate and continuing to eat.

His declaration had left me breathless, but I recovered myself and carried on eating.

We washed up the plates in a comfortable silence. "Did you get the same text I did, about the meeting at HQ?" Dimitri asked as we put the last of the cutlery away.

"Yeah." I said, glancing at the clock on the wall. "I suppose we should be leaving soon if we're going to get there on time."

We made our way out of the house once the kitchen was clean again; Dimitri put his duster on as we walked through the door.

We walked down the tree lined path that lead to the other side of Court where the dull building that was known as Guardian Headquarters was placed. The large meeting room within the building was already buzzing with activity when Dimitri and I walked in. We greeted several fellow Guardians on our arrival and found two seats beside each other. The room had been filled with chairs all placed in rows facing the front of the room where Head Guardian Hans Croft waited, speaking quietly with a few of the more highly ranked Guardians.

I had just finished catching up with Eddie by the time 10 o'clock came round and every Guardian was seated. Hans cleared his throat and stepped forward and the crowd quietened to let him speak.

"You will no doubt be wondering why I have called you all here at such short notice. It is regarding a highly secret mission that I am asking for your help with. There is a large group of Strigoi residing close to Court, and we believe that they are planning on staging an attack on Court imminently." He paused for breath, and the crowd broke out into frenzied conversation.

Of course they would be shocked. It was almost unheard of for Strigoi to work together in large groups; they were all so aggressive and blood-thirsty that it was almost impossible for Strigoi to live close to each other without tearing themselves apart.

"Quiet!" Hans shouted, his voice booming throughout the room. "We do not know the exact number of Strigoi that we are dealing with, but we know it could be well within the hundreds, and that the number continues to grow. They are being lead by more than one Moroi." I knew Hans was trying to keep as many details as he could secret; he wanted to preserve the secrecy of this mission for as long as he could, but the Guardians needed some details to go on.

"Our mission is to attack the property in which they are staying, we are to arrest any Moroi we find, and kill any of the undead that we come across. Those are all the details I can give you. As Guardians, we are not used to attacking large groups like this, we focus on defence. Which is why we will not be forcing anyone to come on this mission, it will be on a volunteer-only basis. Those who do not come will be tasked with defending Court while we are gone. There is a sign-up sheet at the back of the room. Those are all the details I can give you for now, we will launch our attack within the next 7 days. You are free to go." Hans finished his announcement and took a step back, crossing his arms over his chest once more.

A queue formed in front of the sign-up sheet almost immediately. Dimitri, Eddie and I soon joined the line and signed ourselves up without an ounce of hesitation. I noticed that some Guardians didn't sign up, and instead walked straight out. I couldn't find it in me to blame them, our lives were on the line, and attacking a whole army of Strigoi is different to defending our charges from them.

"Rose, Belikov, me and a group of the guys are heading over to the gym once we've signed up to have a go at practising in groups, if you're up for joining us?" Eddie asked after he signed his name.

I glanced at Dimitri before answering, I would definitely be ready to go, but I thought he might still be slightly uncomfortable around some of the other Guardians, and so I checked to him for assurance, he gave me a look that I somehow knew said _I'll go if you go._ I looked back to Eddie who now had a strange kind of contemplative look on his face. "Sure, we'll come."

We met up with a dozen other Guardians outside the gym, all of which I knew by name, though Dimitri didn't and they all kindly introduced themselves to him.

Dimitri and I stayed quiet as we warmed up, the other Guardians were all speaking amongst themselves about the mission, but we couldn't really tell them that we knew far more than they thought we did about it.

Once we were all warmed up, we split off into two groups of 6 and attacked. We each had a practice stake.

Dimitri and I naturally gravitated towards each other; I think we both secretly knew that we would be fighting together on the mission; there was no way one of us would be without the other.

It was interesting practice-fighting in a group of people that I didn't often work with. It was beneficial to see other people's fighting styles as well as to get a feel for fighting within a tightly-packed group. It was different to sparring one-on-one, there were more people to be aware of and there was much less room to move around with. I had to be aware of everyone else around me and I had to trust that they had my back if I needed them.

We spent the next hour fighting. We would often switch up the groups and we sometimes stopped to discuss different techniques, I noticed that the other's often looked to Dimitri and I for advice, which I found strange as at least half of them had been on the job for far longer than I had. I supposed I had to admit that the back of my neck covered in Molnija marks spoke for itself.

We finally called it quits when each and every one of us was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. The adrenaline rushing through my body meant that I had a smile plastered on my face and I felt almost giddy.

"You coming out with us tonight Rose?" Eddie asked once he'd downed the last of the water in his bottle.

It had become sort of a regular thing for me to go out drinking and dancing with Eddie and some of the other Guardians when a few of us had the night off. When Dimitri was gone I found it helped to take my mind off things. And I actually enjoyed being able to let loose once in a while, it allowed me to forget.

I hadn't even thought about it since Dimitri had been back, I had been too caught up in things with him and the issues with Jill and Victor and Robert.

"Yeah Hathaway, you used to always come out with us." One of the others Guardians, Johnson, encouraged. "None of these wimps can keep up with my drinking habits." I couldn't help but laugh at that, it was true; I was the only one that could drink as much as him and not pass out.

"I don't know guys..." I said hesitantly. The truth was that I would have loved to go out with them again; I just didn't know how Dimitri would fit into all of this.

I could see him studying me with surprise, he clearly didn't know that I used to go out partying with these guys before he came back, and I didn't really want to make him uncomfortable, but I wasn't ashamed, I could do what I wanted and with who I wanted.

"You're more than welcome to come too, Belikov, if that's your scene." Eddie added when he saw us glancing at each other.

I think Dimitri could tell that I wanted to go, and so he answered before I got the chance to. "Yes, I will come along, thank you." He said politely.

"So that means you're coming too, right Rose?" They questioned eagerly.

I rolled my eyes dramatically at that. "As if I'd ever turn down a night out."

"Sorted! Meet us at the usual time and place."

"See you all there!" We said our quick goodbyes before heading in our own directions.

Dimitri and I walked back to the house in comfortable silence for a while; he seemed to be contemplating what to say before he finally spoke. "Do you go out with them often?" He asked, I could tell he was trying not to sound too interested.

I debated how to answer the question for a moment before I figured I may as well tell the truth. "I used to. They were good company for me when things were difficult a few years back, and it just kind of became a regular thing. A few of them have girlfriends and partners that come along too, they're all really nice. And it's good fun to have a few drinks and let off a bit of steam." I didn't need to mention that things were so difficult for me back then ever since he left, and I felt guilty for making him feel bad.

I took his hand into mine and linked our fingers together. "I'm glad you're coming with me, but I don't want you to be uncomfortable." I told him honestly.

He squeezed my hand gently. "I'll admit clubs aren't really my thing anymore, but if you're there I know I'll enjoy it." He told me with a smile.

"And I'm sure you're looking forward to seeing me in a dress." I said with a sultry hint to my voice. I watched as his eyes widened, almost as if he could picture me in it already. I couldn't help but laugh at his reaction.

I spent the rest of the day with Lissa, but I left a few hours before Dimitri and I would be meeting the others at the club. I decided that I would have a little bit of fun and make a little bit of trouble tonight.

I was going to make myself look incredible, and all for Dimitri.

With any luck, he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off me.

 **There we have chapter 28! Things are moving forward now with the mission, and with Rose and Dimitri's relationship. I have to admit, I'm kind of looking forward to writing the next chapter, I can't wait to have a bit of fun and show Rose teasing Dimitri all night, I sense quite a bit of sexual tension coming our way. Anyway, thank you all for all of your continued support, for the follows, favourites and especially the reviews. Please keep them coming and let me know what you think! Thanks again!**


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